


So This is Love...

by okay_klepto



Series: The Many Adventures of Shiro and Keith [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anniversary, Did I mention fluff?, Established Relationship, First Time, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, I Love You, Keith's Birthday Week 2017, Loss of Virginity, Love, M/M, Mild Smut, Safe Sane and Consensual, Special Date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-16 02:05:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12333276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okay_klepto/pseuds/okay_klepto
Summary: It's their one year anniversary, and Shiro has a date to top all dates planned out for him and Keith.  The evening starts out a little rough, but things smooth out, and Shiro and Keith are able to have a good time.Part three of three of my Keith's Birthday mini-series





	So This is Love...

**Author's Note:**

> 7 months in the effort and I finally have it finished.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy it, and, if you haven't already, read the two precursors: "Worries" and "Lance's Bathroom Beauty Parlor." All can be read as stand-alone works, but they do connect to one another.
> 
> Also, I wrote some of this while listening to "I Wanna Know What Love Is" by Foreigner and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. Not a good choice when writing mushy-gushy romance with hints of pain. Oops.
> 
> If you're concerned, the more sexual content starts about halfway through and slowly builds. I tried to make it clear what was happening. In all, it accounts for about one-fourth of the entire fic.

   “How do I look?”

   Keith slowly spun around as Lance watched him from the couch.

   “Very handsome,” Lance said with a smile

   “It’s not too much?  I don’t know if the grey goes with the blue.  Oh, I look awful.”

   “Keith, this is the seventh suit combination you’ve tried on.  Shiro will be here any minute.”

   Keith shook his hands nervously.  “What if I’m too dressed up?  He said he made special plans but-”

   “You’re fine!  You look awesome and I don’t think Shiro will mind considering how nice your ass looks in those pants.”  Lance winked.

   “Dammit, Lance!”  Keith looked in the mirror in the hallway.  “And my hair is a mess.”

   “It is not.  You’re just nervous.”

   “And my shoes don’t match my outfit.  Should I be wearing a tie?  I hate ties… I like the top button open, but is that too casual?”

   “Keith!  You look great!  Shiro is going to think you look amazing no matter what you wear.”

   Then they heard the doorbell ring.

   “Lance!  That’s him!  Do I look okay?  I’m not too pale or red?  Am I forgetting something?”

   “You’re evening stuff?”

   Keith dashed into the back of the apartment.  “I completely forgot!”

   “Don’t forget your glasses!”  Lance called back as he got up to answer the door.  “Hey, Shiro.”

   Shiro stepped into the apartment and Lance closed the door.  He glanced around at the seemingly empty apartment.  “Where’s Keith?”

   “He forgot his bag with his evening stuff,”  Lance said as he went back to lounging on the couch.  “He’ll be out in a minute.”

   Shiro kept standing in the entryway.  He could feel his nerves getting to him.  “How are you, Lance?”

   Lance didn’t look up from the book he was reading.  “You don’t need to be so nervous.  Keith’s anxiety is already through the roof and if he sees that you’re a mess too he’ll probably break down crying.”

   Shiro began to pace around.  “But what if something goes wrong?  What if the car breaks down or we lose our reservations or Keith gets sick?  Or what if I do something wrong?”

   “Shiro, Keith thinks you cutting lettuce is perfection.  It’s gonna be really hard for you to mess this up.”

   “But what if-”

   There was a sudden, loud crash from the back of the apartment.

   “SON OF A BITCH!”

   Lance and Shiro went silent, eyes wide and glued to the dark hallway.  They looked at each other then back to the hall.

   “Keith?”  Lance called, furrowing his brow.  “You good?”

   “Yeah, I just… fuck… I knocked a thing over and… dammit…”

   They could hear Keith moving around some, picking things up perhaps?

   “Lance?”

   “Yeah?”

   “…I need a bandage.”

   Shiro straightened and looked to Lance.  “Is he okay?  What happened?”

   Lance stood and began to walk away.  “Just sit down.  I’ll handle this.”

   Shiro sat down and rested his arms on his knees.  His leg started to bounce up and down in anticipation.  This was not how he had hoped to start the evening.

   “I have Star Wars- What the hell!?”

   Keith was sitting on the floor of his bathroom with pieces of shattered mirror all around him; a few bottles of various bathroom supplies laid strew about.  Keith was holding his nose and a cut on his foot was oozing blood.

   “I fell,” Keith said plainly.

   “But- Your- nevermind.  Just… Hang on.”  Lance reached over a grabbed a towel and handed it to Keith.  “Hold this to your nose.”

   Keith did so and Lance went back to get a bigger bandage.  He came back to find Keith in the same position.  How had Keith managed this?

   “Keep your head forward.  I need to take your sock off.”  Lance maneuvered through the minefield of glass shards and gingerly rolled Keith’s sock off to reveal one long gash with a few smaller ones around it.

   “You might have glass in your foot,” Lance said as he stood up.  “You should sit out in the living room so there’s more light and more space.”

   “But Shiro’s out there!”  Keith felt his heart race. Shiro was the last person he wanted to see in this condition.

   “Oh yeah…”  Lance turned and yelled.  “Shiro!  Come in here please!”

   “What the hell are you doing!?”  Keith hit Lance’s leg.  “I don’t want him to see me like this.”

   Shiro quickly came in with wide eyes and shaky hands.  “Yeah Lance, is everything- what happened?”

   Shiro walked in on the same scene Lance did, only now Keith had only one sock on, a towel to his nose, and a slightly more annoyed look on his face.

   “I fell, okay?  I was trying to get my eye drops and my foot slipped and I hit the mirror and it fell off the hinges and shattered and some of the pieces got into my foot.”

   “What happened to your nose?”

   “I hit it on the door frame.”  Keith pointed to a spot that had a small smear of blood on it.

   “Shiro, help me walk Keith out to the living room so I can take the glass out of his cuts.”

   “Lance, I’m-”  Keith gasped as Shiro squatted down and lifted him up bridal style in one fell swoop.  It would have been more romantic if Keith wasn’t currently a bloody mess.  Thanks to the towel, Shiro couldn’t see Keith’s cheeks turn rosy and warm.

   Keith clutched onto Shiro’s jacket as he was carried out to the living room and placed on a comfy chair while Lance rubbed down a pair of tweezers with alcohol.

   “I’m gonna take these suckers out.”  Lance squatted down in front of Keith as he guided Keith’s foot onto the corner of the coffee table.  “It might sting a little, okay?  Shiro, get some ice for Keith’s nose, and a new towel.”

   Shiro nodded and went into the kitchen.

   “Lance…”  Keith whispered, reaching out slightly.  “I don’t wanna go.”

   “Keith, you’re fine.  We’ll get you cleaned up and you can have the night of your life.”

   “But look at me!  I knew something like this would happen…”

   “Keith, everything is going to be fine.”

   “But Shiro-”

   “Is doting on you more than he would any patient at the hospital.  He’s nervous too, y’know.”

   Shiro returned with a bag of ice cubes and a fresh towel.  He knelt down next to Keith.  “Are you okay, babe?”

   “Yeah, I just don’t like breathing through my mouth…”

   “Here.”  Shiro handed Keith the ice.  “Put it on the bridge of your nose.  Let me see the bleeding.”

   Slowly, Keith pulled the towel away to reveal the massacre.

   “Alright.”  Shiro gently pushed Keith’s hands back up to his face.  “We’re going to change out the towels.  Put the ice on once the towel is in place… Just like that.  Now pinch your nose.  Ready?”

   Keith nodded and held his nose as Shiro had said.  He took away the bloodied towel and Shiro put a clean one in its place.  Shiro guided Keith’s hand up to exactly where he wanted the ice to be.

   “Good, good.  Hold the towel.  Stay just like that for a second, sweetie.”

   Shiro jumped up and went into the kitchen to rinse the blood out of the towel.  He came back and regains his position beside Keith.

   “You feeling okay?”  He wrapped his arm around the back of Keith’s head.  “Let me hold the ice for you.”

   Keith let Shiro take the place of his hand, which was getting very cold.  It was a good thing Shiro’s prosthetic hand couldn’t get as cold and hurt like normal hands would.  Keith felt nice being able to lean on Shiro as his nose bled, although, with everything covering his face, breathing was a chore, speaking was nearly impossible, seeing from just the tops of his eyes was pointless, and his nose was going numb, not to mention that blood was covering his lips.

   “Keep your head forward, babe,” Shiro whispered as he adjusted his arms.

   Keith leaned forward a little more.  He could feel Lance doing something to his foot, though he could not see it.

   “Ah!”  Keith’s leg jolted slightly as Lance performed his makeshift surgery.

   “Sorry, sorry…”  Lance went back to looking for glass, this time more gingerly.

   Shiro laced his fingers between Keith’s and squeezed a little.  Keith felt better holding onto something as his foot stung, and Shiro could take each tight grip Keith gave when Lance would pull out a shard of glass.

   “Shiro, come down here and make sure I got all the glass.”  Lance gestured to Shiro.

   Keith took over holding everything to his face and Shiro went down to examine Keith’s foot.

   “Looks good to me.”

   “How’s Keith’s nose?”

   “The blood is letting up.”

   “Let me see.”

   This time Lance came to peer in at Keith’s face.

   “Oooo, look at that clot.”  Lance’s eyes seemed to sparkle when he saw the blood.

   “It’ll break when we change the towels.”

   “You’re right.  We must prepare!”

   Suddenly, both the faces were gone.

   “Lance?  Shiro?  Where’d you guys go?”  Keith tried to find them through his limited field of vision, but they were nowhere to be found.

   Shiro leaned over a pressed a kiss on Keith’s head.  “We’ll be back in a minute.”

   Keith was left alone in the living room.  His foot stung, his hands were tired, and his face was cold.  At this point, he just wanted to get this evening over with.

   “What’s going to happen now?”  Shiro asked once he and Lance were in the kitchen.  “Are we still going to be able to go on our date?”  Shiro felt his nerves from before getting stronger.

   “Relax, everything is fine,” Lance said as he rinsed his hands. “ Why are you so shaken up?  You’re not the one who’s gushing blood.”

   “I was afraid something horrible would happen.”

   “You sound just like Keith.”

   Shiro leaned against the fridge.  “I worked so hard planning this and… I wanted things to be perfect!  Not all bloody…”

   Lance leaned on the sink.  “Are you kidding me, Shiro?  Things couldn’t be more perfect.  You’ve got Keith laying down all helpless and you’re doting on him like you’re his mother, not to mention you carried him like a damn princess and now you’ve taken off your suit jacket and you have your sleeves rolled up.  You probably look like a sexy prince of a doctor to Keith now.”

   Shiro chuckled.  “I'm not a doctor yet.”

   “I'm sure it doesn't make a difference to Keith.”

   “Maybe you’re right…”  Shiro said as they walked back out to check Keith.

   “Ready doctor?”  Lance grinned.

   “Hand me the forceps, nurse!  And scalpel!”

   “No!”  Keith urgently tried to find the two other boys with his limited vision.  “What are you guys doing!?”

   Lance laughed.  “Just kidding.  Let us see your nose.”

   “I hate you medical people.”

   Lance pinched the towel around Keith’s nose and took it away.  Shiro took the ice off and they looked down at Keith’s nose.

   “Did it stop?”  Keith looked up at Shiro with worried eyes.

    _You are covered in blood_ , Shiro thought.   _How can you still be cute?_

   “I think it has.  The clot came out cleanly.  We just need to get the dried blood off, okay?”

   Keith smiled and Shiro began to dab at Keith’s nose.

   “I’m gonna get you new socks,”  Lance said as he left.

   “Will you get the black ones with the little stars?  Those are thick and fluffy.”

   “On it.”  Lance walked away and left Keith and Shiro in the living room.

   “I think I got all the blood cleaned off,”  Shiro said as he folded up the towel.  “You feel alright?”

   “Yeah, I’m just tired.”  Keith put his feet down and sat up straight.  “And I’m not a fan of blood.”

   “Well, you did really well, better than some of my patients.”  Shiro leaned over and gave Keith a kiss.  Keith smiled and Shiro leaned in for another.  And another.  And another.  Before long, Keith had his hands running through Shiro’s hair and Shiro was feeling Keith up his sides.

   “Save it for later, lovebirds.”  Lance threw the socks so they hit Shiro in the head.  Keith and Shiro broke away from each other and Keith turned his face away.

   “Sorry…”  Shiro said as he picked up Keith’s socks.  They were black with tiny stars sewn into them to make different constellations.

   “One is the northern hemisphere and the other is the southern,”  Keith said as he carefully pulled them onto his feet.

   “They’re nice.”  Shiro helped Keith to his feet and Keith finally got to get a good look at Shiro.  He was, in fact, not wearing his suit jacket.  He had on his black dress pants (which hit him in all the right places) and a white dress shirt, which he had rolled the sleeves up on to reveal his strong forearms.  He had the first two or three buttons undone on his shirt, exposing his defined collarbones and the tops of his round, prominent pectoral muscles.  Everything else was held in by a tight suit vest with the top button undone.

_Damn Shiro, maybe I should get hurt more often…_

   Keith got his shoes and jacket back on and carefully walked back to his room to get his bag.  Shiro fully resuited and waited for Keith to return.

   “Don’t you look handsome, now that you’re not bleeding everywhere?”

   Keith smiled.  “Thanks, Shiro, you don’t look too bad yourself.”

   “I try my best.  Ready to go?”

   “I think so,”  Keith said checking up his bag.

   “Have fun you two!”  Lance called from the living room.  “Don’t get too spicy!”

   “Lance!”  Keith’s cheeks turned pink.

   “It’s fine, let’s go.”  Shiro smiled and gave Keith a kiss before they headed out the door.  Lance picked up his phone.

L: _The coast is clear_

P: I _t’s about time.  What are we watching?_

L: _We can finish Gilmore Girls then I found a documentary on mermaids we can watch and then we can watch all the Star Wars movies on top of each other_

P: _Perfect.  I’ll bring nachos and pound cake_

    _Oh Pidge_ , Lance thought, _you know me too well._

><><><

   Keith and Shiro made their way down a few flights of stairs, chatting happily.

   “Keith?  Is that you?”

   A petite elderly woman stood in front of a door a few paces away.  She had on thick glasses and a flowered dress.

   Keith stepped forward.  “Good evening Mrs. Robinson.  What are you doing up this late?”

   “Oh, my grandson paid me a visit and he just left.”

   “That’s nice to hear.  You don’t get to see him often.”

   “You’re right.  So what are you doing all dressed up, dear?”  Mrs. Robinson squinted and adjusted your glasses.  “Are you getting married?”

   “No, I’m going out.  You remember my boyfriend Shiro, right?”

   “How could I forget such a handsome young man like him!  So polite.  He’s quite the catch, Keith.”

   “Thank you, Mrs. Robinson.”

   “Well, I don’t want to hold up the shenanigans you two have planned for tonight.  Just don’t stay up too late.”  She winked.

   “Good night, Mrs Robinson.”  Keith waved goodbye and he and Shiro continued walking as the elderly lady went inside.

   “Isn’t she just the cutest?”  Keith said once they were down the hall.  “I love her so much.”

   Shiro laughed.  “Maybe you should date her.”

   Keith hit Shiro’s chest.  “Maybe I should.  She’d know my birthday.”

   Shiro stopped.  “I just got the numbers mixed around!  I apologized a hundred times!”

   Keith laughed and looked back at Shiro.  “You planned a huge surprise party with all my friend, even Lance.  All of them knew it was the wrong date and just wanted to mess with you.  It was amazing.  You should have seen your face!”

   “Why are you so mean?”

   “I’m not mean!”

   “I’m just teasing.”  Shiro put an arm around Keith.  “Ready for the most romantic and amazing night of your life?”

   “At this rate, I don’t know how ‘amazing’ it’s going to be.”

   Shiro smiled.  “It will be, I promise.”

><><><

   They made their way to Shiro’s car and started down the road.  Shiro knew exactly where to go because he had actually practiced driving down the roads a few times so the trip would go smoothly.  He hoped now things would fall back on track.

   “Shiro, where are we going?”  Keith asked as they went straight through an intersection.  “You were supposed to turn back there to go downtown.”

   “Don’t worry, I know where I’m going.”

   “I’m not too sure about that.”

   They continued to drive.  With each turn, fewer and fewer cars shared the road with them.  More trees started to pop up along with hills and curves in the road.  The moon lit up everything outside, making it easy to see.  Shiro and Keith made idle conversation more to pass the time than anything else.

   “So, can I ask what exactly happened in the bathroom?”  Shiro asked in a moment of silence.

   Keith sighed.  “It’s so stupid.  I just- it’s awful.  I wanted to get my eye drops, which I don’t use very often, so they were on the top shelf of my medicine cabinet.  Fine.  I had to stand on my toes to get them but then my rug slipped out from under my one foot and my legs twisted so I fell sideways, hitting my nose on the door frame, causing my bloody nose.  As I was falling, I reached out to grab something to maybe prevent me from falling, I was hoping the sink, and that just happened to be the door to the cabinet and I ripped it off the wall on my way down and it shattered when it hit the sink and then the floor and the shards went everywhere, including into my foot.”

   Shiro continued to watch the road with a look of disbelief.  “Seriously?”

   “No Takashi, I was abducted by aliens.”

   “That just sounds like something Lance would get a call for.”

   “I know.  I feel like an idiot.”

   “Don’t say that.  I didn't mind taking care of my little Keith if he gets hurt.”

   “Shut up!”  Keith tried to hide his smile.

   Shiro chuckled and continued to drive.

><><><

   “Hey, are we lost?”  Keith asked as he looked out the window.  “We’ve been driving for a while, and… I don’t recognize this place.”

   “We are one hundred percent not lost.”

   “Nah, I’m pretty sure we are.”

   “We are definitely not lost.”

   “If you say- Takashi!  Look!”

   In an area where the trees parted, Keith could see a lake with the moon reflecting off its ripples, making the water sparkle as though there were stars from heaven were floating on top.  On the opposite shore was a long dock with a roof over it, a string of round lantern lights illuminating the people sitting within.

   “It’s so pretty!”

   “It is nice,”  Shiro said, glancing out Keith’s window and smiling slightly.

   “The water looks amazing!  Can we stop and look?  Please?”

   “Sorry love, we can’t waste any more time.  We got a late start and I don’t want to lose our reservations at the restaurant.”

   Keith sat back in his seat with a pout.  “I thought it was supposed to be romantic.  Being by the water would have been romantic.”  Keith eyed the dock.  “I wish I was eating over there.”

   “That would have been romantic, huh…”

_Things are falling into place perfectly._

   They drove further, weaving around bends and turns and slowly getting farther from the lake.  They were deeper into the countryside now, cow pastures and corn fields becoming more common than houses.  They entered an area of dense forest and came to their destination.

   “Here we are,” Shiro said as he opened the car door for Keith.  “The Ugly Duckling.”

   “The Ugly Duckling?”  Keith looked around.  The restaurant was just wood from the front, with a sign that had ‘The Ugly Duckling’ written across it in gold, script letters.  Trees and bushes grew on either side so there was no seeing what was past the building, and the other cars in the lot seemed to all be very expensive.  Keith felt a little out of place  “I’ve… never heard of this restaurant.”

   “I think you’ll like it.”

   They walked up to the cluster of people waiting to be seated.  A tall, thin waiter came up to them.

   “Do you have a reservation, sirs?”

   “Yes,”  Shiro said confidently.  “The name should be ‘Shirogane.’”

   The waiter flipped through a small notebook.  “Ah yes, right on time.  Come with me.”

   Shiro followed behind Keith, who followed the waiter.  They walked through a dining room with couples and small groups filling the tables, eating and talking quietly.

   “Look that the chandeliers, Takashi.”  Keith pointed upward.  The lighting was soft, illuminating the walnut interior and reflecting off the silver bar just enough to give the room an appealing glow.

   “They’re nice.”  Nice was an understatement.  They looked like they were made of amber.

   “Where are we sitting?”

   “You’ll see.”

   They passed more tables and the long, shiny bar before the waiter pushed open a door to the back of the restaurant.  Keith’s eyes lit up.

   “We get to eat by the water!?”

   “I told you it would be romantic.”

   They were lead to a table for two in a corner at the very end of the dock.  The further back the tables went, the more spread out they became.  They sat across from each other, Keith facing into the restaurant, Shiro facing the end of the dock.

   “Would you sirs be interested in any wine or champagne tonight?”  The waiter said, holding out a small menu booklet.  “I do recommend anything on the wine list from _Chateau Leoville Las Cases Saint-Julien_.”

   “I’ll be driving tonight so none for me.  Keith?”

   Upon hearing his name, Keith looked back from the water, a little confused.

   “Do you want any wine?”

   “Oh, uh, no, thank you.”

   “Alright,” the waiter said.  “I’ll be back in a moment to get you two started.  Drinks are listed on the very back of the menu.  If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask.”

   “Thank you,”  Shiro said as he took the menus and the waiter walked away.

   “He’s really nice,” Keith remarked.  “I thought waiters at restaurants like these were supposed to be mean and rude?”

   “Maybe we got lucky.”  Shiro eyed the menu.  “What looks good?”

   “Everything looks good, but I don’t want too much.  I may just get soup.”

   “You can get something new, too.”

   “I know…”

   The waiter came back.  “What would you two like to drink this evening?”

   “I’ll take a water with lemon.  What do you want, Keith?”

   “Could I get a… lemonade, please?”

   “Absolutely.  I’ll be back out in a moment with your drinks.”

   Keith and Shiro looked over the menu carefully.  Everything looked so good.  Pasta and chicken and steak and salads.  Keith seemed to be deep in thought as he read the menu, analyzing each item with great intensity.

   “What looks good as a starter?”  Shiro asked.

   Keith looked back to the starters.  “Hmm… the eggplant will probably be good, or the pâté du jour.”  Keith smiled.  “I remember having escargot when I was in France.”

   “Was it good?”

   “It was great, though the texture took a few tries to get past.”

   The waiter returned with the drinks.  “What can I get as a starter for you two?”

   “The sweet and sour eggplant, please,” Keith said.

   “Alright.  I’ll bring that out in just a moment.”

   Shiro smiled as the waiter walked away.  He looked up at Keith who was looking at the menu with the same intense focus.  Every now and then his eyes would wander back to the lake and he would get a far-off look on his face.  He was quiet.

   “What do you think you’ll get?”  Shiro asked, mainly to break the silence.

   “The pork looks good, but I eat that at home a lot.  I would get fish, but I seem to always order that at restaurants.  Oh, I don’t know.  What about you?”

   “I was thinking about getting fish.  I don’t get it often, or not as often as you.”

   Keith chuckled as the waiter returned.  “The sweet and sour eggplant.”  

   He set a steamy plate between Keith and Shiro and pulled out a pad of paper.  “Have you decided on what you each would like?

   “I have.  Keith?”

   “Mhmm.”

   Shiro started off.  “I’ll have the blue crab spaghettini.”

   “Alright, and for you, sir?”

   “The roasted duck breast, please.”

   “An excellent choice.  Those will be out in a few minutes.”

   “Thank you,”  Keith said as he handed the waiter his menu.  They began to cut into the eggplant and Keith took a piece with his fork.

   “It’s really good,”  Keith said after finishing a bite.

   “I didn’t know you were so adventurous when it came to food.”

   “Seriously?”  Keith took another bite.  “I’ve never been choosy.”

   Shiro glanced to the side.  “I guess you could say that...”

   “Well, at least I eat a variety of meals,”  Keith smirked.  “My palette is better developed.”

   “Sorry I wasn’t the one who ate snails in France.”

   Keith laughed.  “You need to get out more!”

   They ate and chatted lightly.  They finished the eggplant (which Shiro liked only moderately, but Keith enjoyed very much) and sat back in their chairs.  Shiro watched Keith as his eyes drifted back out to the lake as he spoke.

   “It’s really pretty,” Keith quietly said

    _So are you_ , Shiro thought.  The gentle breeze blew through Keith’s hair, ruffling it just enough to catch the light.  His eyes were shiny and reflected the light just like the water.  From where Shiro was sitting, all he could see was Keith.  Keith framed out by the dark, glistening water, his pale skin in stark contrast to the night,

   “Is something wrong, Takashi?”  Keith sounded worried.  “Is there still blood on my face?”

   Shiro snapped out of his daydream.  “No babe, there’s no blood.  I’m sorry for staring, but you just look so lovely out here.”

   Keith opened his mouth a little, as though he already had an answer planned, but then quickly closed it and smiled bashfully, fully realizing what Shiro had said.  “‘Kashi…”

   Shiro smiled.  How had he gotten so lucky?  Keith was wonderful - amazing - perfect.  Out here, everything seemed to be so magical and surreal; Keith looked like an angel.

   “So, has anything noteworthy happened at the hospital lately?”  Keith asked with a grin.

   “No, just the usual.  I’ve gotten to look after some of the elderly women lately.  They always ‘flirt’ with me, but I take it as a compliment.  I guess they’re feeling young and spry even after surgery.  It’s really funny, actually.”

   “Do I have to worry about losing my man to a granny?”

   “I’d choose you over anyone in the world, Keith.”

    _Dammit Takashi,_ Keith thought.   _W_ _hy do you do this?  Make me all flustered out in public._

   “So what about you?  Anything exciting in the lab?”

   “Well, we have been making a lot of progress on our recyclers, and I’ve heard that another group has been making some breakthroughs with their genetic experiments, but they might need some people from my department for some tests.  I forget exactly what they said… something about reactions, so I’m going to try to get transferred over there.”

   “Oh yeah?  Sounds very interesting.”

   “It is!  It’s so cool, they go in and…”

   Shiro listened to Keith as he talked about… whatever it was he was talking about.  Sure, Shiro had gone into the medical field, but when Keith started talking atoms and elements and reactions, he was lost.  Sure, he didn’t understand ¾ of the stuff that came out of Keith’s mouth, but he was more than willing to listen to him go on for hours about what he loved.  Keith lit up when he talked about work, and got so into it that sometimes Shiro thought he had forgotten he was just talking to his boyfriend, not someone who could use the information, or understood it in detail.  But Shiro knew that many times he had talked Keith’s ear off about work at the hospital and being in the burn unit then moving all around.  Being a nurse was interesting to Shiro, but Keith couldn’t care less.  And now with Shiro going for his medical degree, Keith had to listen to medical talk more than any one person should have to.  But Keith always listened, so Shiro would listen, too.  Now, Keith just seemed so happy to be eating by the water and talking to Shiro about what he loved.

   Keith had just finished his story when the waiter came back with their meals.  He set them down and quickly disappeared back into the restaurant.

   “This looks so good!”  Keith said, pushing some vegetables around with his fork.

   “I think it will be.”  Shiro began to cut into his food, watching Keith enjoy his meal, too.  He looked so happy and relaxed.  The gentle splashing of the waves against the dock tied everything together.  The moonlight, the cool breeze, the water, Keith’s smile - it was perfection.  They sat and ate, enjoying each other’s company for what seemed like hours.  It was so relaxing and enjoyable; Shiro didn’t want it to end.

   “I’m going to use the restroom.”  Keith got up and placed his napkin on the table.  “Be back in a sec.”

   Shiro watched Keith weave his way through the tables and to the indoor dining area.  Shiro sighed.  The night was going well, but would it continue like this?  Shiro knew he shouldn’t worry this much, but he had planned this night for a month.  He had paid top dollar to get the hotel room and this specific spot at the restaurant.  What if something bad happened?  What if Keith wanted to go home?  What if Keith just never came back from the restroom?

   Shiro pulled his phone out of his pocket to find that he had a few new messages.  One was from Hunk, the other five from Lance and Pidge.

H: _How’s the date going?_

   Hunk was always reasonable.

S: _It’s going well.  We got to the restaurant on time, Keith loves the water.  We just need to get to the hotel._

   Now to see what Lance and Pidge wanted.

L: _Shiro!  How’s the date?  How’s Keith?_

L: _Cmon Shiro answer me!  I wanna know what’s going on!  Where are you?_

L: _It’s 930!  When are you going to get it on?  Are you in the park?  Eating?  Is the restaurant nice?  Did you drown in the lake?_

L: _SHIROOOO AANNSSWWEERR PPLLEEAASSEE I wanna know how Keith is!  I gotta make sure you didn’t hurt my son.  I wanna know how sexy time goes ;P_

   Classic Lance.  Pidge sent a picture of her and Lance sitting on the couch eating mozzarella sticks and wearing bright blue face masks.  Lance’s foot somehow made it in the picture.

P: _Pretty sexy, huh?_

   Shiro responded to Lance first.

S: _Everything is fine.  No one is dead.  We’re almost done eating._

L: _NICE! Pidge and I are chilling.  I bet we’re having more fun than you are_.

   Shiro chuckled.  Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Keith was washing his hands and noting how nice the soap smelled.  He looked at himself in the mirror.

    _You look fine, Keith.  Everything is going fine.  There’s no need to worry._

   He felt nervous, but about what?  All he had to do was eat and hang out with Shiro.  Keith adjusted his hair and sighed.  The breeze had blown it out of place, but he knew pushing some around wouldn’t help in the long run.  Just then, a tall man stepped into the bathroom.  He went to a sink near Keith’s and splashed some water on his face.  He wore a suit like Keith’s and had a hint of a beard.  He was built like Shiro, but considerably taller.  He seemed more nervous than Keith.  Keith had to say something.

   “Big night?”

   The man looked at Keith through the mirror and smiled.  “Yeah.”  He reached into his pocket and pulled out tiny bag which produced a ring.  “Do you think she’ll like it?”

   Keith looked down at the ring.  It was shining silver with an array of small crystals surrounding one large one.  It sparkled like the water did.

   “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

   “I hope so.”  The man slipped the back into the pocket and shook out his body.

   “How long have you two been together?”  Keith asked.

   “Five years.  It’s her birthday.  It thought today would be perfect.”

    _Five years_ , Keith thought.  That length of time seemed unimaginable to him.  And this guy was going to propose!?  Keith had only been with Shiro one year, could they make it five?  Would he want to make it five?  Would Shiro last five years with him?

   “Well, good luck man.  I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

   “Ya think?”

   “I’m positive.”  Keith smiled and left the bathroom, seeing the man pace around a few times before leaning over to give himself a pep talk in the mirror.

_He’s gonna propose… I wonder who the girl is?_

   Keith looked around at the tables to see if he could find the soon-to-be bride.  He didn’t see any women sitting by themselves.  However, after walking out to the outdoor area, he saw a table in the corner with a woman sitting alone.  She was petite with brown hair that curled softly.  She wore red glasses and a simple deep blue dress that seemed to fit her perfectly.  A single gem on a silver chain hung around her neck with matching earrings framing her face.  She sat with perfect posture with her hands folded in her lap.  Usually, Keith saw that as a sign of being snobby, but something about her made Keith feel safe.  She seemed very anxious, though, almost fearful.  Should he go over and say something?  He’d walk by the table anyways.  Keith took a deep breath and tried to make himself seem as unassuming as possible.

   “You’re looking very nice this evening, miss.”

   She turned and looked at Keith a bit worriedly.  When Keith smiled, she relaxed.

   “Thank you, sir.”

   “Are you waiting for someone special?”

   “Oh, my boyfriend.  He just went to wash his hands.  He’ll be back soon.”

   It was him.  “Well, he’s a very lucky man to have found a lady as beautiful as yourself.”

   She smiled and turned away slightly.  “Oh, you’re too kind.”

   “I would stay and chat but I have my own special someone to attend to.  Have a nice evening, miss.”

   “You too, sir.”

   Keith turned and made his way back to where Shiro was sitting.

   “They took our dishes.  Were you done eating?”

   Keith sat down.  He felt a lot calmer now.  “Yeah.  I don’t want to stuff myself.”

   Shiro looked around.  “Who were you talking to?”

   “Hmm?”

   “Over there.”  Shiro pointed.  “I saw you when the waiter came.”

   “Oh, there was a young lady sitting by herself so I thought I’d be friendly.”

   “I see.”

   “I told her she looked nice and she told me she was waiting for her boyfriend.”

   “That was really nice of you.”

   “I tried to make it sound as least flirty as possible.  I didn’t want to be that guy.”

   The waiter came with a smaller menu.  “Any dessert for you sirs tonight?”

   Keith looked to Shiro.  “Could we?”

   “If you want to,” Shiro said with a smile.  “I planned this for you.”

   Keith chose a dessert for them to share and the waiter drifted away once more.

   “I didn’t think you would choose black forest cake.”

   “Are you kidding?”  Keith smiled.  “I love black forest cake, and the waiter said the slice was big enough for two people to share reasonably.”

   Before they knew it, the waiter was back with a slice of cake.

   “Wait, I want to take a picture to send to Lance,” Keith said as he pulled out of his phone.  “He’s gonna be so jealous.”

   Shiro chuckled.  “You just love making him suffer, don’t you?”

   “It’s payback for all of the pictures he sent me while he was out on dates.”

   They ate their cake, which Keith thoroughly enjoyed.  Keith laughed when Shiro got frosting smeared on his chin, and Shiro let Keith have the last bite.  The waiter returned a bit later with their check.

   “I’ll pay,”  Shiro said as he began to pull out his wallet.

   “You sure?  We could split it?”

   “It’s okay.  Like I said, I planned this for you.”

   Keith smiled as he watched Shiro fill out some areas of the receipt.  He was such a gentleman.  He and Shiro were so different, how did they end up together?  Keith’s mind wandered back to the couple he had met earlier.   _I wonder if everything went well?  That man seemed nice, and so did his girlfriend.  How would someone plan a proposal?  How would I want to be proposed to?  What if I was the one who proposed?_ Keith didn’t like that thought.

   “Ready to go?”  Shiro asked after everything was paid for.

   “I think so.”  They gathered up their belongings and started to leave the restaurant.

   “Let’s go this way.”  Keith pointed to the door on the far side.  “There are fewer tables to go through.”

   As they got closer, the man Keith had met in the bathroom came into view.  Once Keith was close enough, they made eye contact and Keith gave him a look as if to say ‘did she say yes?’  The man smiled and nodded excitedly.  Once they were close enough, Keith put out his hand for a small high five which was gladly received.  He turned, just before going through the door, to see the woman.  She saw him too and lifted her hand to show Keith the ring and Keith gave her the perfect sign with his fingers before the door closed completely and they were cut off forever.

   “Who were they?”  Shiro asked, having noticed the little bit of activity.

   “Oh, no one. Just another couple.”  Keith held Shiro’s arm tighter.  “Don’t worry about it.”

   They walked out into the night.  It had grown considerably darker since when they had first arrived, but the water still sparkled like the stars above.  The breeze blew gently, bringing in the sweet smell of the night air.

   “You said you wanted to look at the water, so we could walk on the path along the shore,” Shiro said, pulling Keith a little closer.  “It would be romantic.”

   “Takashi…”  Keith blushed and turned his face away.  “I guess that would be nice.”

   Shiro smiled and they began to walk away from the restaurant to a path that was cut through the edge of the woods.  It was just wide enough for two people to walk comfortably beside each other, and they could see the glittering water to their left.   There was no sound, save the crickets and cicadas chirping their evening tune.  Shiro and Keith walked in silence, hand in hand, just enjoying each other’s company.  Keith was content being able to walk in the moonlight, watching the water and listening to the night; having Shiro there made it perfect.

   They came to a footbridge and paused to look at the water.  The breeze blew and the shimmering water danced peacefully.  Shiro looked at Keith, who was smiling, and felt a sense of pride.  Keith was amazing.  He was perfect.  He seemed so happy and lively tonight, which wasn’t always the case.  Seeing his reaction to the restaurant was just how Shiro had imagined it, maybe better.  Shiro was getting excited for the events planned for the rest of the night.  Except for the very beginning, everything was going seamlessly.  Shiro remembered all the little things he loved so much about Keith: how polite he was, his soft skin, the way his hair framed his face, how bubbly his laugh was, how he smiled with his eyes.  How could one person be so flawless?

   Keith watched the water, seeing a few rogue geese floating along, minding their own business.  Shiro had really gone all out on this date.  Keith was impressed.  How would Shiro have known he was going to comment on the water?  Oh, that was perfect.  However, Keith’s mind drifted back to the man he had met in the bathroom and the woman at the table.  They had dated for five years and now they were getting married.  He and Shiro had only been together for one year.  Getting married seemed so… so foreign and odd.  Keith?  Getting married?  He had never once thought about it.  It had always been someone just being with him for the rest of his life, not a big announcement of love.  Keith didn’t even want to get married now.  Ugh, why was he thinking about this?  It wasn’t like Shiro was going to propose.  But this was their one year anniversary, and Shiro had planned a fancy date… No, he would have talked about it with Keith first.  Shiro was considerate and caring, much like the man.  He would probably want to get permission first or something.  Keith chuckled at that.

   “What are you laughing about?”  Shiro asked, interrupting the silence.

   “Nothing…”  Keith gazed out at the water.  “It’s a nice evening.”

   “It is.  I was worried it was going to rain.”

   “It’s good that it didn’t.”

   Speaking didn’t seem right at this moment.  The silence was more comforting, just being in the presence of one another without worrying about keeping themselves occupied with conversation.  Keith continued looking out at the water, and Shiro watched Keith looking at the water.  His hair blew and Shiro smiled.  He put his hand around Keith’s waist and pulled him in close.

   “You know,”  Shiro whispered, “this past year with you has been amazing.”

   Keith smiled.  “It has…”

   “And I really hope that we can have more years like this one.”

   Keith was silent and leaned in closer to Shiro.

   “I really want you to know that you mean a lot to me, Keith.  I know I don’t always show it, or at least show it well, but I want the best for you and for you to be happy.”

   “Stop…”  Keith blushed.

   “It’s true.  I spent almost a month planning this date out so I knew it would be perfect for you.  Seeing your eyes light up when you saw that we got to eat by the water made me know I had accomplished my mission.”

   “It was really nice!  And a surprise!”

   “I had to practically glue Hunk’s mouth shut about it.”

   Keith laughed.  “That sounds like him.”

   “I hope you’re having a nice time.”

   “I am.”  Keith yawned.  “I’m getting tired, though.  It’s probably the food.”

   “Do you want to go back to the car?”

   “Yeah…”

   “Just one more thing.”  Shiro turned Keith and gave him and well-deserved kiss on the lips.  Keith smiled and stretched his arms over Shiro’s shoulders.  It was sweet and passionate, not rough at all.  The kiss was all joy and gentleness and love.  Shiro and Keith, even though it was just for a few seconds, felt as though they were frozen in time and that nothing could separate them.  It was only them in the whole world.  However, this was not case, as this surreal kiss was broken by Keith’s need to yawn.  What a tired boy.

   “Sorry,” he said, turning his head away and covering his mouth.

   “That’s alright.  Let’s go.”

   They walked back down the path and found Shiro’s car.  Neither of them knew how long they had been out.  Their minds had been focused on each other rather than the time.

   “Shiro!  It’s quarter after eleven!  We’re going to get home too late!”

   “Relax, babe.  I’ve got it covered.”

   “It took us forever to get out here.”

   “Do you have to work tomorrow morning?”

   “No, I work in the afternoon.”

   “Well, then we don’t need to get home right away.”

   “So what are we going to do?  Sleep in the parking lot?”

   “No,” Shiro started the car and began to drive away.  “I made reservations.”

   Keith looked at Shiro curiously.  “You did?  When?”

   “Back when I made a reservation for the restaurant.  I knew it would take us a while to travel and eat so I just went ahead and made a hotel reservation for the two of us.”

   Keith furrowed his brow.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

   “Because I didn’t want you to worry about it.”  Shiro smiled.  “And I wanted it to be a surprise.”

   Keith leaned back in his seat.  “Well, I don’t have my pajamas or anything.”

   “I packed a suitcase with everything we’ll need.”  Shiro gestured behind him.  Keith looked at the back seat and noticed a medium-sized black bag.

   “You sly dog.”  Keith shook his head.  “How did you get my stuff?”

   “Lance was more than willing to help.”

   Keith chuckled.  “Of course he was.”

><><><

   After about 20 minutes of driving, Shiro pulled up to a tall, glamorous hotel.

   “You’re kidding.”  Keith stared at the shimmering lights.  “We’re staying here?”

   “Of course.  Only the best for you.”

   Keith stepped out of the car as Shiro handed his keys to a young chauffeur.  Shiro gave Keith his small bag containing his glasses and a few other essentials as they strode up the carpeted walkway to the entrance to the hotel.  Everything looked as though it was made of gold.  Keith couldn’t help but stare at the decorations inside the lobby; the intricate paintings, glossy tiles, and dazzling chandeliers.

   “Your bags, sirs?”  A middle-aged man offered his hand and Shiro handed him the suitcase.

   “You can give him your stuff, Keith.  He knows where we’re staying.”

   Keith handed the man his bag with a polite ‘thank you’ and followed behind Shiro to the reception desk.

   “Reservation?”  The lady behind the desk asked.

   “Yes, under ‘Shirogane.’”

   “Just one moment.”  She tapped on her keyboard and once everything was checked, she produced two room key cards.

   “You’ll be on the twelfth floor.  Take the elevator to the left go to the very end of the hallway,” she said, handing Shiro the keys and a few other items.  “The public pools are lifeguard watched and run from 10 am to 11 pm.  Room service is available from 6 am to 1 am.  Prices and descriptions are listed in your room.  And please enjoy your stay.”

   “Thank you, ma’am.”  Shiro regrouped and turned to Keith.  “Ready?”

   Keith nodded and they entered the elevator.  It was shiny and clean, like the rest of the hotel, well lit and ran smoothly.  Shiro stood quietly as the elevator carried them up and up, seemingly unphased by the glitz and glam.  Keith, however, was practically shellshocked by everything.  First a fancy restaurant and now a five-star hotel?  He thought they had agreed to no gifts, so what was this?  What more could Shiro have up his sleeve?

   The elevator dinged and they stepped out into a long hallway that's end was almost out sight.  Keith was almost afraid to take another step in fear that this was just some sort of hallucination.  Shiro was much more confident.

   “Are you coming or do you want to sleep in the elevator?”  Shiro gestured for Keith to follow him.  “Our bags are already there.  C’mon.”

   Keith nodded and took a few quick paces to catch up with Shiro.  Shiro smiled as they walked down the long hallway to their hotel room.  Keith’s eyes were wide, taking in the sparkling lights and ornate carpets.  Everything seems to give off a warm and welcoming glow while also staying sophisticated.

   “Which one is our room, Shiro?”  Keith asked as they continued down the hallway.

   “It’s right up here.”  After passing a few more doors, Shiro pulled out a key he had been given and opened the door at the very end of the hall.  He gestured for Keith to enter first and Shiro followed, closing the door behind them.  Upon seeing the inside of the room, Keith’s eyes sparkled.

   “Shiro!”  Keith looked around the room wide-eyed.  He slowly started to take off his coat and Shiro helped him out, hanging both their coats up in the closet.  “This is amazing!”

   It was pretty amazing.  It wasn’t the bridal suite, but it was pretty darn close.  Everything was clean and modern.  A large bed sat against one wall, covered with a thick comforter and fluffy pillows.  On the far side of the bed sat two chairs near a small table.  Beyond that was a large, thin, white curtain that hid a window that nearly made up an entire wall.  Everything in the room was coordinated in color, ranging from warm shades of deep, chocolate browns to pure whites.  It was beautiful.

   “Shiro!  Look at the bed!”  Keith fell down onto the top of the bed and laughed.  “It’s so fluffy!  And the view!”

   Shiro could watch Keith like this all day.  He was tickled even with something as simple as getting to stay in a nice hotel room for a night.  Shiro smiled as Keith walked up to the window and pushed back the sheer curtain.  Once he opened the doors in the window, a slight breeze blew in, making the curtains billow out around him.  It looked like something from a dream.  Keith walked out onto the small balcony that overlooked the city below.  Shiro took off his suit jacket and went to meet Keith on the balcony.

   “You like the view?”  Shiro asked as he put an arm around Keith’s waist.

   “You can see everything!”  They peered down at the cars and streetlights and store signs that lit up the night.  The tiny lights looked like stars decorating the city below.

   “It is pretty great,” Shiro said turning to Keith.  “But not as great as you.”

   Keith wrinkled his nose.  “You’re such a dork.”

   “But I’m your dork.”  Shiro leaned in a gave Keith a kiss.  The breeze blew, much like by the lake, which made their clothing and hair gently blow around.  Keith shivered.

   “Can we go back inside?  It’s cold out here.”

   “That’s fine.”  Shiro followed Keith back inside the hotel room as he rubbed his arms to get a little warmer.

   “It would be fine if it wasn’t for the wind.”  Keith made his way over to where the bags were sitting.  “I’m going to brush my teeth and take my contact lenses out.  My eyes are _dry_.”

   “Alright.”  Shiro sat down on the bed as Keith picked up his bag and went into the bathroom.  This was his chance to get everything set up for the rest of the night.

   Keith was very impressed with the bathroom.  The sinks and bathtub were carved from gold and white swirled marble, a streak of brown mingling its way in every now and again.  Everything shown, and the large mirror on one wall reflected every ray of light, making it seem as though Keith was walking on the clouds of heaven.  He stood and just stared, amazed that a bathroom could have such beauty.  He walked over to one sink and put his bag down, pulling out his glasses and toothbrush.  His eyes were so dry from the evening, and he had been waiting for the sweet relief of eye drops and glasses.  He pulled his contacts out one at a time and placed a few eye drops in his eyes and put on his glasses.  Ah, they were nice and clean, and his eyes no longer felt like the dessert.  Keith rinsed off his hands and went in to get his toothbrush.

    _Dammit_ , Keith thought, _I don’t have any toothpaste._

   He took a few paces and peaked his head out the door.

   “Shiro?  Do you have any toothpaste I can borrow?”

   Shiro, startled, quickly turned to Keith, nearly dropping what was in his hands.

   “Toothpaste?  Uh?”  Shiro looked around frantically.  “Yeah, yeah, I have some.  Just…”  He scurried over to his suitcase, being careful to hide what he was holding.  He opened a pocket on the outside of the case and produced a small tube of toothpaste.  He quickly walked over to Keith and handed it to him.

   “Here you go.”

   “Thank you.”  Keith tentatively took the tube.  “Is everything okay?”

   “Of course!  What makes you say that?”

   “You’re acting weird.”

   “Oh, I’m just…”  Shiro’s eyes darted around the room.  “Picking a few things up.”

   Keith gave Shiro a suspicious look.  “If you say so.”

   Keith returned to the bathroom and finished brushing his teeth.

    _Should I wash my face?_  Keith thought as he looked at himself closely in the mirror.   _Maybe just a quick rinse._

   Keith removed his glasses and splashed some water on his face with a little bit of soap.  That felt refreshing.  He thought about whether or not he should change out of his dress clothes, but he hadn’t brought any pajamas or other clothes.  Did Shiro bring some for him?  That would have been really nice of him.  But what if they were doing something or going somewhere else?  Keith decided just to wait.

   While Keith was cleaning up, Shiro went to work getting everything ready for the rest of the night.  He had brought the necessary items for sex, plus clean clothes for both he and Keith to sleep in.  The hotel had catered to his request for some extra towels, which were placed in the coat closet.  He pulled them out and set them on the shelf below the bedside table.  Next, he went to his suitcase and pulled out a smaller bag that contained a handful of condoms, a travel sized bottle of lube, and a small package of baby wipes.  He pulled these items out and went to place them on top of the towels.  

   “Shiro?  Do you have any toothpaste I can borrow?”

   Upon hearing Keith’s voice, Shiro quickly spun around, almost dropping the items in his hands.

   “Toothpaste?  Uh?”  Shiro’s mind went a mile a minute.  “Yeah, yeah, I have some.  Just…”

    _Shit shit shit_ , he thought, _toothpaste?  Toothpaste!_

   He went over to the suitcase, being sure to keep what was in his hands out of Keith sight, and dug around until he found a small tube of toothpaste beneath with some other odds and ends.

   “Here you go.”

   “Thank you.”  Keith tentatively took the tube.  “Is everything okay?”

   “Of course!  What makes you say that?”

    _Shiiiiiiiit_.

   “You’re acting… weird.”

   “Oh, I’m just…”  Shiro’s eyes darted around the room.  “Picking a few things up.”

   Keith gave Shiro a suspicious look.  “If you say so.”

   Keith turned and went back into the bathroom and Shiro let out a sigh.  He put everything in their places and made sure he had all of the clothes they would need: underwear and something to sleep in for both Keith and himself.  He didn't check too well, mainly out of nerves, but he'd work something out if need be.  He then went over and turned the lighting down so the room was lit by just a soft glow.  Now he just had to wait for Keith to return.  Just… wait.  Unfortunately, Shiro was getting rather antsy and began to pace around the room, going over the mental checklist of do’s and don’ts in his head.

_Be gentle, go slowly, talk, make sure he’s okay, don’t do anything that hurts him, listen, say it._

   Shiro wrung his hands as he stared at the door to the bathroom.  He thought he could hear Keith moving around, but that was most likely just his imagination.  Shiro shoved his hands into his pockets and kept pacing, trying to think of romantic lines he could say to Keith.  Damn, it felt like he was going to propose.  Why was he this worked up?  He had done this a thousand times… well, not this specifically.  Planning dates and having sex: yes.  Planning out a date that may or may not determine the future of the relationship: no.

   As Shiro paced and stressed, Keith remained happy in calm in the bathroom.  He looked down from the mirror and saw he had gotten a text from Lance.

L: _How’s the date~_

   Keith chuckled.

K: _It’s fine_

L: _Where are you?_

K: _I’m in the bathroom of the hotel._

L: _Oh yeah?_

K: _Lance, this hotel is sick!  We have a balcony and there are chandeliers and everything is made out of like gold????_

L: _So you like it?_

K: _Like it?  Lance, I love it!  The bed is big and fluffy and it’s just so nice!  And we got to eat by the water and it was so romantic!  It’s like something out of a dream!_

L: _I guess Shiro did well, huh?_

K: _It’s perfect!  He’s amazing!_

L: _Well what else are you guys doing tonight?_

K: _Idk maybe go to bed?  Hopefully we’ll get to cuddle some, but I don’t have anything to sleep in but Shiro might have brought something for me._

L: _Oh he has something for you alright._

K: _What_?

L: _Nothing.  Have a nice rest of the night!  I’ll probably go to sleep fairly soon.  Idk I have an early shift._

K: _Well get at least a little rest._

   Keith put his phone down and gathered the rest of his belongings before exiting the bathroom.

   “Hey, Takashi.”  Keith noticed Shiro was sitting in the bed with his hands in his pockets, staring at what seemed like nothing.

   “Hey, babe.”  Shiro eyes quickly looked to Keith and he smiled  “All washed up?”

   “Yeah.  Do you need to use the bathroom?”

   “No, I brushed my teeth and washed up in the sink over there.”  Shiro gestured to a small area in the corner with a sink and a fridge.

   “You could have shared the bathroom with me.  There’s two sinks and plenty of space.”

   “It’s okay.”  Shiro took Keith’s bag and placed it on a nearby table.  “I can share other things with you now.”

   Keith laughed.  “Why am I dating such a weirdo?  And why are the lights off?”

   “Oh,” Shiro took a stop towards Keith and put his arms around Keith’s waist.  Keith put his hands on Shiro’s chest and looked up with wide eyes.  “I thought that it would… better set the mood.”

   Shiro tenderly pressed his lips against Keith's.  They tasted sweet and felt soft and wet.  Keith closed his eyes as Shiro pulled him a little closer and he went in for another kiss, barely breaking away from Keith’s lips after the first.  Shiro kept going in, one kiss after another, each more passionate than the previous.  Keith worked his hands off Shiro's chest and slid them over Shiro's shoulders, feeling his sculpted back.  Keith ran his fingers on one hand through Shiro's hair, and Shiro slid his tongue into Keith's mouth, making him hold his hair tighter.  Keith sighed and wobbled on his toes stood as he tried to get their heads at a manageable height.  Keith felt himself getting warm on the inside and out as Shiro pulled him closer and began to rub his hands up his sides.

   “T-Takashi…”  Keith half-heartedly tried to break away, turning his face slightly and going back down on his heels.

   “Please, Keith,” Shiro pleaded.  He turned Keith’s face back towards his and saw Keith’s pink cheeks and soft eyes.  “Just a little longer.”

   Shiro placed their lips back together, and Keith felt his head start to get fuzzy and his knees start to weaken, but Shiro slowly started to walk towards Keith, making him step back.  They took a few more paces before Keith felt his legs knock into something.  He almost fell backward but Shiro quickly stopped him.  Keith felt his stomach turn at the sensation of falling, but now he felt as though he was being suspended in the air by Shiro’s arms.  The bed (which he had ran into) was pushing right above Keith's knees, making it hard for him to balance.  He could feel his feet slowly starting to slip out from under him, but Shiro's firm hold kept them both upright.  Because of this, Keith felt almost helpless in the situation, but not exactly in a bad way.  He had full trust that Shiro would not let him fall.  Without breaking their lips apart, Shiro slowly lowered them down onto the bed.  Keith wobbled and was sure his legs would just give out at any moment, making them both crash down onto the bed.  Just as his heels started to lift off the floor, Keith felt one of Shiro’s arms extend out to stop them from falling.  Now Keith was reclined at almost a 45-degree angle, and with his weight being held up, he felt like he was floating once again.

   “Sorry,”  Shiro whispered, letting their lips fall apart for a moment.  “I misjudged that.”

   “It’s okay…”  Keith said in a breathy voice.

   “I would hold you longer, but my arm’s getting tired.”

   “Oh, I’m sorry!”  Keith leaned back and supported his own weight on his elbows and pulled himself up to a sitting position on the bed.  “I was just-”

   “You didn’t do anything.  Just keep being perfect.”

   Keith smiled and Shiro began to climb up onto the bed.

   “It’ll be more comfortable if you lay on the pillows.”

   Keith pushed himself back so he was against the pile of pillows at the head of the bed.  They were fluffy, and Keith sank into them when he reclined himself.  Shiro smiled at Keith’s comfort and made his way to where Keith was.

   “Are you comfy?”

   Keith smiled.  “Yeah.”

   “That’s good.”  Shiro leaned down and started to kiss Keith again.  Keith cupped Shiro’s face in his hands.  Keith couldn’t believe how nice this was.  He got to eat by the water, have a romantic walk in the park, stay in a fancy hotel room, and now he got to lay on probably half a dozen fluffy pillows and make out with Shiro for as long as he wanted.  Shiro had done it all for him.  Oh, he felt like a prince.

   Shiro, too, was having a ball.  Everything was going as planned, which made Shiro’s stress levels drop considerably.  Dinner had gone smoothly, the park was perfect, and now Keith was happy and not too sleepy.  Unfortunately, Shiro was starting to get restless.  He wanted this moment to last as long as possible, but he knew that the events needed to progress in order to reach the end goal.  While this may seem simple, Shiro knew that he would need to play the speed by ear.  If he went too fast, Keith would get anxious and scared, then end up crawling back into his shell.  But if he went too slow, Keith would probably get tired and just want to go to sleep.  He couldn’t let desperation get the best of him.  He just needed to relax.

   Shiro slowly moved from kissing Keith’s lips to gently kissing his jaw and neck.

   “Mmmm… Oh!”  Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck.  “Ta-Takashi…”

   Shiro just barely grazed his lips over Keith’s skin or left kisses that were almost nonexistent.  Shiro moved up Keith’s neck until he reached behind his ear and began to kiss and suck.  Whenever Shiro would press a kiss, Keith would squirm a little and let out muffled, high-pitched hums, almost squeaks.  He must be doing something right.

   Shiro moved his hand down to carefully start to unbutton Keith’s shirt.  He ran his hands up Keith’s abdomen until he reached the top of his shirt.  He found where the layers of fabric met and got his finger around the button, slowly working it through the whole.  Shiro got the first button unlooped with ease.  The next few buttons were hassle-free as well, but then he felt Keith tense up when one of his fingers grazed the skin on his chest.

   “Takashi, I-”  Keith’s voice was quiet and shaky.  He tenses up from under Shiro.

   “Keith,” Shiro whispered, “I promise everything is just fine.  I’m not going to do anything harmful.”

   Keith nodded and Shiro carefully undid the rest of the buttons and rubbed his hands over Keith’s bare sides.  

   “Your skin is so soft and smooth,” Shiro whispered.  He got a short, high-pitched whine from Keith in response.  Keith was still tense, but he was more accepting of Shiro’s touches.

   Shiro gently moved his hands and began to peel Keith’s shirt away from his shoulders.  Keith seemed to tense up yet again, but that could have been from the cold air hitting his skin.  It took a moment, but Shiro managed to coax Keith the whole way out of his shirt.

   “You’re so lovely,” Shiro said as he left a trail of kisses over Keith’s abdomen.  “How did I get so lucky?”

   Keith smiled and shivered a little when Shiro kissed more sensitive regions of his stomach.  He brought his hands up to his mouth and held them there in nervous fists, mainly to keep some of his little noise inside.  His hands shook slightly and he couldn’t help the worrying thought that started to creep into his head.  So much was going on; it was almost too much for Keith to handle.

   As Shiro lovingly caressed Keith, he remembered Lance’s words from the month prior.  ‘He can’t be the only one who’s exposed.’  That might relax him

   Shiro moved so he was sitting propped on his knees in front of Keith.  Keith looked particularly small from that point of view; so thin and fragile.

   “See,” Shiro began to unbutton his vest.  “I’ll take mine off too.”

   Keith watched with wide, eager eyes as Shiro removed his vest and laid it on the floor beside the bed.  He then started to unbutton his own shirt, Keith watching with much interest as Shiro’s taut muscles were revealed.  Oh, that warm, tight skin made Keith weak.  He couldn't take his eyes off of Shiro and his god-like body.

   “I guess those extra sets at the gym paid off,” Shiro said as he smiled and leaned down to give Keith more kisses.  “I’ve been paying extra attention to my chest.”

   “Mhmmm…”  Keith was more than willing to let Shiro’s lips lock back onto his.

   So Shiro kept kissing Keith and Keith kept kissing him back.  When Shiro pressed his chest flush with Keith’s, Keith let out a small gasp of alarm, but the sensation of skin to skin soon felt natural.  He liked being able to feel Shiro’s heart beating and his lungs inflate then deflate as he breathed.  Shiro loved being able to hold Keith so close and with such intimacy.  The whole experience felt as though it was meant to be.  Keith’s heart began beating quickly as Shiro pressed his lips to Keith’s more firmly, but so was Shiro’s heart.  Shiro would wrap his arms around Keith’s bare sides and hold him there while Keith’s fingers threaded through his hair, sending chills down his spine.  Keith felt so small and tender in Shiro’s large arms; he felt safe and secure.  It was absolutely magical, but the night must continue.

   Shiro repositioned himself so more weight was being placed on his knees, and he ran his hands down until the hit the top of Keith’s pants.  Somewhere along the way, Shiro had managed to get himself between Keith’s legs, though they weren’t spread too wide.  Shiro knew that the next few steps in his plan would be difficult to execute, so he would have to work gingerly.  Slowly, Shiro pushed his fingers down between Keith’s pants and his hips.

   “Takashi?”  Keith sounded confused and slightly scared.  He pushed himself up towards the head of the bed, away from Shiro  “What are you-”

   “Shh…”  Shiro ran his hands over Keith’s stomach and looked into his eyes.  “May I take them off?”

   Keith widened his eyes and looked away from Shiro.  Inside, he almost started to panic.  Was he ready for this?  Sure, it would be fine if Shiro took his pants off.  Maybe that would be nice, too.  They were a little tight, and he had been wearing them for a while.  But what if Shiro didn’t like something… like… his underwear?  Or what if his legs weren’t right?  And now he would have very minimal clothing on, which was not ideal.  But Shiro had his shirt off, and he’d cuddled with Shiro before when he wasn’t wearing pants so it was okay.  But was it really though?

   “Keith?”  Shiro brought a hand up and rubbed the apple of Keith’s cheek with his thumb.  “Are you feeling alright?”

   “Yeah, I am, I just…”  How was Keith supposed to put his thoughts into words Shiro would understand?  “I guess I’m…  I’m…”

   Now Keith started to really worry.  About what, he wasn’t quite sure, but he had a sinking feeling something really bad was about to happen.  Something that could never be reversed or forgotten.

   “I’ll be gentle…”  Shiro whispered in an attempt to persuade and reassure Keith.  “If you don’t like it, we can stop and you can get dressed again, okay?”

   “But I…”  That’s not what Keith wanted.  He didn’t want to stop, he just wanted… Oh, he didn’t know what he wanted.  He just wanted something to happen that would calm his mind.

   After another moment of contemplation, Keith nodded.  “It’s fine…”

   “Are you sure?  I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

   “I’ll be okay.”

   Shiro and Keith exchanged warm smiles and Shiro sat back on his heels to undo Keith’s belt.  Keith watched with intense focus as Shiro loosened the belt and began to unzip his pants.

   “Are you still okay?”  Shiro looked up and asked.  Keith nodded quickly.  Shiro ran his hands down under the waistband of Keith pants, feeling the indentation where Keith's underwear sat snugly on his hips.  Keith felt his heart start to beat faster and his cheeks get warmer.  When Shiro’s hands touched his bare hips, he shivered.  His hips were sensitive, and every sensation Keith felt seemed to be heightened in this moment.  Keith felt as though he was lost in the vast depths of space, just floating and feeling every particle that might hit his body.  Shiro’s hands were warm, the prosthetic one just a little cooler, but everything felt so surreal.  It felt good and bad and like nothing and like everything all at the same time.  So much was happening all at once, and Keith couldn’t keep his mind under control.  He had to reassure himself that everything would be alright.  That Shiro would listen if he wanted to stop.  That Shiro would never hurt him.

   “Are you sure?  We can stop.”  Shiro didn’t want to push Keith.  He could tell Keith was extremely nervous about what was going on.  If Keith couldn’t have a good time, he wouldn’t have a good time.  This needed to be special. This needed to be relaxing and enjoyable, not a stressor

   “No, I-”  Keith knew Shiro wanted this so badly.  He didn’t want to ruin that for Shiro, and he wanted to go through with this too.  Keith took a deep breath and reminded himself just to calm down and relax.  Everything would be alright.  “I’m alright.  We can keep going…”

   “Okay.”  Shiro pushed his hands down farther so Keith’s pants became loose around his hips.  Shiro felt the soft cotton of Keith underwear and then the warm skin of his leg.  “Can I take them off now, Keith?”

   Keith nodded, still a little nervous, and Shiro slid his hands around to Keith’s butt and loosened the pants all the way around.  Keith was starting to feel a little better, a little safer.  Shiro pulled the waistband of Keith pants down so his underwear was showing.

   “Could you lift your hips up a little bit, Keith?”  Shiro asked, Keith complying by raising his hips up off the mattress just enough for Shiro to slip his pants down to his thighs.  Shiro pulled Keith’s pants down to his knees and removed them one leg at a time, left then right.  Once Keith’s right leg was freed, Shiro ran his hands up Keith’s leg and lifted it.  He gently rubbed his cheek against Keith’s calf and thigh, leaving feather-light kisses every few inches.  His left hand ran up Keith’s calf and his right supported Keith’s leg by the thigh.  The sensation gave Keith goosebumps and made his heart race.  He was starting to worry that Shiro might see that he was getting a little more aroused, or maybe he would think that his skin was too rough.  He really just wanted to close his knees and curl up, but Shiro’s touches felt like heaven.

   “T-Takashi…”  Keith barely whispered Shiro’s name, but it was clearly heard by Shiro’s ears.

   “I can’t help it, babe,”   Shiro said as he continued to caress Keith’s leg.  “You’re just too perfect.”

   Keith felt his face get hot, and he hid behind his hands.  “‘ _Kashi_ …!”

   Shiro put Keith’s leg down and leaned forward to look at Keith.  “What’s wrong?”

   “I just…”  Keith took his hands away just enough for his eyes to look up at Shiro, but he quickly diverted his eyes.  “You’re embarrassing!”

   “I’m not trying to embarrass you!”  Shiro said with a laugh.  “I just want to touch you.”

   Keith gave a little whine in response and fidgeted as Shiro put a kiss on his forehead.

   “But it’s just my legs?”  Keith said.

   “And you have perfect legs…”

   “I don’t know…”

   “You do!  They’re long and soft and strong.  Who wouldn’t want to kiss them?”

   Keith blushed and smiled from behind his hands.  “You’re such a dork!”

   “No!  Keith!”  Shiro pretended to be disheartened.  “I’m not a dork!”

   Shiro leaned further down to nuzzle some kisses into Keith’s neck.  He put his forearms around Keith’s head to balance himself.

   “Takashi!  You’re tickling me!”  Keith laughed and put his arms around Shiro’s shoulders.

   “At least you’re smiling…”

   “Mmmm…”

   “I like when you smile.”

   Shiro leaned in and gave Keith a proper kiss on the lips, which was well received.  Shiro put as much passion and love into that kiss as he could conjure.  He was starting to get excited about what was yet to come.  He could tell Keith was a little more relaxed, which was always a positive, especially in this situation.  Shiro let his abdomen rest on Keith, but he did not put all of his weight down in fear of crushing him.  The feeling of skin to skin was reassuring to Keith, letting him know Shiro was really there; this wasn’t a figment of his imagination.  In the meantime, Shiro had begun to run his hands down Keith’s sides and thighs so he could make his way to remove his own pants.  Shiro was slowly getting giddier, and he had to remind himself to stay calm and collected so he wouldn’t rush anything.  He shook his pants off and tossed them to the side of the bed.  Shiro pulled Keith up so he was sitting up just a little bit more.  Keith kept his hands firmly in Shiro’s hair to keep their faces close.  Shiro continued to let his hands wander over Keith, eventually finding his lower back and taking purchase there.  He made little circles with his thumbs on Keith’s hips before sliding them down to hook under the waistband of Keith’s underwear.  At first, Keith didn’t notice Shiro's hands as he was too preoccupied with what was going on with his mouth, but when Shiro began to pull with more fingers, the realization stopped Keith’s mind in its tracks.

   “T-Takashi!”  Keith pulled away and began to scooch further into the pillows.  “I’m… I’m not sure… It’s just… I…”

   “Keith,” Shiro stopped his pulling and held Keith’s hips tight.  He pressed his forehead against Keith’s and looked into Keith’s eyes with a serious expression.  “I promise, with every ounce of my being, that I will not hurt you.  I will listen, and I will not do anything you don’t want me to do.  I think you are the most amazing, beautiful, and wonderful person in the whole universe, and I want to share an intimate moment like this with you, but if you’re not ready, we won’t do it.  I want to have sex with you, and I know sex can be nerve racking sometimes, but I promise I will keep you safe and make you feel the best you’ve ever felt.  If you really don’t want to have sex right now, or with me, that’s fine, I just want you to tell me.  I will only touch you if you are one hundred percent onboard.”

   “It’s just…”  Keith started to feel anxious again.  He would have to tell Shiro this would be his first time having sex.  He didn’t want to, but it was necessary.

   “What it is?  You can tell me.”

   “I’ve…”  Keith pursed his lips and avoided making eye contact with Shiro.  “It’s my first time…”

   “That’s alright.  I’ll go slowly, okay?”

   “Okay… but…”  Keith still had his doubts.  “Are you sure you… you want to… with me?”

   “What are you talking about?”  Shiro smiled.  “You're the only person I've wanted to do this with for over a year.”

   “But… why?”

   Shiro moved his hands up so he was bracing Keith's back.  “Keith, you are the light of my life.  You make me want to be the best version of myself that I can be.  You're smart and funny and handsome and every time I see you I feel like I'm going to melt.”  Shiro gently pressed a kiss to Keith's forehead.  He looked into Keith's eyes and said, with a deep, hushed voice, “it's because I love you.”

   Keith’s eyes widened.  Shiro smiled softly as they looked at each other.  Keith’s eyes started to water and his lips trembled.

   “Y-you do?”

   “Of course I do.”  Shiro brought one hand up and pushed back some hair that had fallen in Keith’s face.  “I love you more than anyone or anything.  You are the stars and the moon and all things beautiful, and you make my heart overflow with joy and I love you, Keith.  I just love you so, so much..”

   A tear began to roll down Keith’s cheek as he reached up and wrapped his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, pulling him down slightly.  Keith hid his face in Shiro’s neck.

   “What’s wrong?”  Shiro laughed a little and stroked Keith’s head.  “You don’t need to be sad.”

   “I’m n-not sad…”  Keith whispered.  “It’s just… people don’t s-say things like that to me very often, and…”   Keith stopped before he got more choked up.

   Shiro held Keith tighter and lightly kissed his head.  “Well, I will tell you that I love you as many times as you want me to.  Each time it will be even more true.”

   Keith let go and wiped his eye with the palm of his hand.  “Th-thank you, ‘Kashi”

   “Anything for you.”

   It was true, Keith wasn't used to having people come right out and say things like 'I love you’ to him.  Showing, and receiving, affection wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but now, here was Shiro, saying that he loved Keith, even in his most vulnerable state.  Shiro said it like he meant it, too.  He really loved Keith and wanted Keith to feel happy, but there would always be a little voice in the back of Keith’s head saying that Shiro didn’t actually love him and he was just being used.  That voice may not be very loud, but it was always there.  It had been there ever since Keith could remember.  He hoped that that little voice was just lying, but it sure was convincing most of the time.

   Shiro’s hands trailed down Keith sides and to his legs.  He found the hem of Keith’s underwear again and ran his thumbs under it.  He brought his hands around so they were set against Keith’s butt.  Shiro leaned down and put a kiss on Keith’s cheek.

   “Are you doing okay?”  He went back to an almost sitting position, looking over Keith.

   Keith nodded.  He felt good and safe, but it still made him nervous having Shiro being there, being able to see every detail of him.  He felt embarrassed because he knew Shiro would be able to see his arousal through his underwear, which grew each time Shiro touched him. Shiro was probably feeling the same way, but Keith was too shy to try to confirm that thought.

   “May I touch?”  Shiro whispered.  “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

   Keith nervously nodded and brought his fists back up to his mouth.  He felt Shiro slowly move his hand from his back to the inside of his leg.  He gently grazed his knuckles across Keith’s sensitive skin before bringing his hand up to meet the light pink fabric of Keith’s underwear.  

   _If I knew we'd be doing this, I would have work a different color,_ Keith thought.

   Shiro watched Keith’s face intensely as he moved his hand up to the damp patch on Keith’s underwear.  Keith shut his eyes and balled his fists tighter, holding back a whimper.  Shiro uncurled his fingers and stroked Keith’s bulge, feeling it twitch at the sensation.  Keith let out a little whine and turned his head to the side.  Shiro went in and began to kiss Keith’s belly, hips, and the tops of his thighs.  He squeezed Keith’s erection just a little and Keith let out a breathy sigh, a tiny sound coming out with it.  Keith’s legs were bent upward and Shiro sat close to his groin.  Keith's legs closed a little out of reflex, but Shiro’s waist prevented them from closing the whole way.

   “Can I take them off?”  Shiro began to tug at Keith’s underwear.

   Keith was hesitant.  “I…”  He opened his eyes and looked at Shiro, who was looking back at him with anticipation.  “… Yeah.”

   Shiro pressed a kiss to Keith’s lips.  “Thank you, babe.”

   Shiro got his fingers under the waistband by Keith's hips and slowly pulled.  Keith squirmed and let out a few little noises, but made no protest.  Shiro was able to slide them down to the tops of Keith’s thighs with no issue.  Keith shivered when his damp cock hit the air.  His toes curled, and the realization that Shiro now had a full view of every part of him sunk in.  He pursed his lips and tried to relax despite his nervousness.

   “Are you alright?”  Shiro asked as he lifted one of Keith's legs to pull his underwear completely off.  “Do you want to pause?”

   “No, it’s just that…”  Keith took a deep breath.  “It feels weird.”

   “Look at me, Keith.”  Shiro bent over and looked into Keith’s eyes.  “I know it feels kinda odd and maybe uncomfortable, but it will feel good very soon, okay?  Just wait a little bit.  I’ll get everything ready.  And just let me know if you want to take a break, okay?”

   Shiro smiled and Keith nodded.  Once Keith was completely undressed, Shiro reached down below to the shelf by the bed and took out the lube, condoms, and the towel from the top of the stack.  He placed these items beside him, just out of Keith’s view.

   “What’s that?”  Keith asked shyly.

   “Just some stuff to make this easier.”  Shiro smiled.  “Is it alright if I touch you a little more?”

   “Yeah…”  Keith wasn’t quite sure why Shiro had asked that.  He watched as Shiro leaned over and lifted a small bottle, squeezing some of its contents onto his fingers.

   “It’s just a little bit of lube,” he said as he rubbed it between his fingers.  “It will make things run more smoothly.  It’s water based if that means anything to you, and it might be a little cold.”

   Keith continued to watch Shiro, noticing how he rubbed the jelly all over his fingers but kept it concentrated at his fingertips.

   “I’m going to touch you now.”  Shiro reached down between Keith’s legs.  “Ready?”

   “But…”

   “But what?”

   “Isn’t it… dirty?”

   Shiro smiled.  “I have just the thing.”  He reached to where the other items were placed and pulled out a baby wipe and held it up for Keith to see.

   Keith smiled.  “Are you serious?”

   “I’m always prepared.”  Shiro went down and cleaned up a little bit, wiping around Keith’s anus and a little inside.  Keith scrunched up his face when it made contact with his skin.  The wipe was cold and wet, and Keith did not like the sensation.  Once Shiro was done, he balled up the wipe and threw it in the trashcan across the room.

   Shiro looked directly into Keith’s eyes.  “Kobe.”

   “You are a complete idiot.”

   “I made the shot, didn’t I?”  Shiro gave Keith a kiss.  “Now are we ready?”

   Keith nodded and prepared himself for what would happen next.

   “Ah~”  Keith let out a breathy sigh when he felt Shiro’s soft fingers gently touch his puckering anus.  The lube was cold, but Shiro’s fingers were warm.  He just traced the circle, applying a bit of pressure, which was just enough to make Keith feel warm.  Keith could feel Shiro’s other hand rubbing his leg, gently going up and down his thigh.  He felt his cock twitch and he tried to remember to breathe.

   “You’re doing well, Keith,” Shiro said.

   Keith felt Shiro apply more pressure, the pad of his finger dipping into him just a little.  Keith whined and tried not to move around too much, which took all of the self-control he had.

   “Can I put one in?”  Shiro asked, a little concerned.

   “Just… be careful.”

   Shiro nodded and gently pushed his middle finger in Keith’s hole.

   “Ah, Takashi~”  Keith closed his eyes again and tipped his head back.  The back of one hand was lightly covering his mouth and the other was above his head.  His breath hitched in his lungs and Keith tried his best no not cry out.

    _Damn, he is sensitive_ , Shiro thought as he pulled his finger in and out, each time Keith making some sort of small noise.  He curved his finger and Keith moaned.  He turned it and Keith shivered and turned his head.   _Hot_ …

   Shiro rubbed the inside of Keith’s leg and slowly made small circles with his finger to widen Keith’s hole.  Keith whimpered and shifted his hips.  His eyes were still screwed shut.

   “Are you alright, Keith?”

   “Y-yeah.”  Keith’s voice was shaky.

   “Are you sure?”

   “It just feels weird…”

   “Give me a minute or two and I’ll be up there by you.”

   “Okay?”  Keith wasn’t too sure what Shiro was talking about.  He felt the pressure of Shiro pushing one finger in, stretching and pulling his muscles.  Tinges of pleasure and pain shot up his body.

   “I’m putting in a second.”

   “Okay…”

   Keith thought one finger was enough, but two felt a whole hand.  Sure, a few times he had masturbated and may have put a finger or two in his ass just to experiment, but Shiro's fingers were so much broader.  He was getting stretched out more than he was used to.  Keith felt himself starting to get warm and every movement Shiro made inside of him felt intensified by a thousand.  That’s right, Shiro was inside of him.  That thought made Keith shiver.  It was just his fingers, but soon it would be something else.

   “Ah!”  Shiro had bent his fingers and Keith arched his back off the mattress.  Keith’s breath raced and his head shot off the pillows.  “What was-”

   “Sorry, sorry.  I got carried away…”  Shiro smiled apologetically.

   “Just… warn me or something.”

   “Alright.”  Shiro pulled his fingers in and out a few more times.  “I’m putting in another, okay?  I just want to make sure you’re… uh… opened enough.”

   Keith felt another finger slide in and he moaned and gripped the sheets with one hand.  That amount would have been fine but when Shiro moved his fingers, it was a whole other sensation.  Shiro kept a watchful eye on Keith’s face, noting each tiny response he had to the movements of his hand.  He watched Keith’s chest rise high then fall deeply.  He hoped he wasn’t hurting Keith, but he knew that the preparation was necessary.  He looked down at his work to judge if he needed to keep going.  Keith’s anus was opened fairly wide now (that fact going right to Shiro’s cock) and Shiro figured it would be enough.

   “I’m taking my fingers out.”

   Keith felt sudden absence inside of him and he watched Shiro wipe his hand off on the towel that was lying beside him.  He picked up a small box and pulled out a condom in silver wrapping.  Keith bit his lip as he watched Shiro move around.  He was still a little worried about this whole sex thing, not that he would actually have Shiro’s cock inside of him.

   “Hand me that pillow, please.”  Shiro pointed to a pillow that was not being laid on.  “Actually…”

   Shiro crawled from the foot of the bed to the head, Keith watching him curiously.  He pulled out two pillows from the pile and then went over to Keith.

   “Come here.”  He put one arm behind Keith’s back and the other under his knees and lifted him up, pulling him about a foot away from the headboard.  Keith sat upright as Shiro moved the pillows so they were laying flat on the bed, just a few being stacked on the others.  He tossed one pillow down to the foot of the bed.

   “What are you doing?”

   Shiro smiled.  “Lay down.”

   Keith did as he was told and nestled into the new arrangement of pillows.  Shiro went back to his original position and leaned over Keith.  “How’s that?”

   “Fluffy.”

   Shiro smiled wider.  “Good.”  He leaned back on his knees and grabbed the pillow he had tossed aside.  “Lift up your hips.”  Keith did so, and Shiro slid the pillow under and placed the towel on top.  It was… an interesting arrangement.

   “Are you done?”  Keith asked teasingly.

   “Don’t get sassy with me, Keith,” Shiro said.  He took each of Keith’s hands in one of his and gave them soft kisses.  “I’m trying to make sure my prince is comfortable, that’s all.”

   “I know.”  Keith smiled to himself.

   Shiro gave Keith a little kiss on his nose.  “Just give me a second.”  Shiro looped his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers and pulled them off in one motion.  Keith looked away out of habit, and a little bit of nervousness.  With one hand, Shiro gave himself a few quick strokes and ripped open the condom in one motion.  As Shiro ran his hands down Keith's sides, curiosity got the better of Keith and he peaked down to see what Shiro was doing.  His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Shiro's cock - Shiro's thick, veiny cock that must have stood seven and a half inches.  Keith gasped.  It made Keith's cock look tiny in comparison.  And that was going to going inside of him?  Wouldn’t a cock that big just crack him right in half?  Nevertheless, Keith watched as Shiro rolled on a condom onto his cock, the latex somehow not bursting at his size.  Shiro leaned forward and let Keith put his arms around his shoulders to give him a kiss.

   “Are you ready?”

   Keith smiled and nodded.  Shiro put some more lube on his hand and coated his cock generously.  He took hold of it and pressed it against Keith’s hole.

   “W-wait!”  Keith reached and grabbed Shiro’s bicep.

   “What is it?”  Shiro looked up to a now very nervous Keith.

   “Will…”  Keith was embarrassed with the question he was going to ask, but he had to.  He had to communicate with Shiro, he knew that.  But it was hard; Keith wasn’t used to just coming right out and voicing his concerns.  “Will it hurt?  Like, a lot?”

   Shiro paused.

    _Shit_ , he thought.  I almost forgot he’s never done this before.  Is it going to hurt?  How am I supp _osed to know!?  I guess it shouldn’t, but he’s going to get something shoved up his ass, so yes?  But…_

   “Will it hurt?” Shiro repeated.   _No, it shouldn’t hurt.  It won’t._

   “Well…”  Keith’s eyes darted around.  “I’ve heard stuff, and I don’t know if it’s true, but it seems like it would be painful considering what… what happens and stuff and I’ve heard there’s blood but that-”

   “No.  It shouldn’t hurt, babe,” Shiro comforted.  “If it does, let me know, okay?  I don’t want you to be in pain.”

   “No blood?”

   “Absolutely no blood.  No pain, no blood.  Just feeling good.”

   “Okay…”  Keith giggled.

   “Alright.  I’m going in now.  I’ll go slowly and tell me if anything feels bad or if you’re not into it and want to stop.  Just lay back and relax.  Don’t forget to breathe.”

   Keith took a deep breath and settled into the pillows.  He felt Shiro put one hand on the inside of the thigh.  Keith’s muscles tightened as he felt Shiro starting to move.

    _Relax, Keith, it’s fine_ , Keith thought.  I _t’s not going to hurt.  It’s-_ “Ah!  Ahh!~”

   Keith clutched the pillows above him as the pressure of Shiro pushing inside finally caught up with him.  His breath quickened and he gasped when Shiro finally stopped moving.

   “You’re alright?”  Shiro quickly tended to what he thought was a distressed Keith.  “Did I do something?  Nothing hurts?”

   Keith shook his head.  “No, it’s - ah - just different.”

   “Alright.”  Shiro let out a sigh of relief.  “I’m going to keep going.”

    _Keep going? What does he -_ “Oh Takashi!~”

   Keith pushed his head back and curled his toes.  One of his legs jolted upwards.  His heart beat rapidly, and he tried to calm his breathing.  He was filled to the brim so quickly.  Everywhere felt hot and tense.

   “Is everything okay?”  Shiro towered above Keith, a hand on each side of Keith’s head.  There was a hint of worry in his eyes.

   “Y-yeah,” Keith tried to move a little to get more comfortable, but every movement made Shiro’s cock push him a different way.  “Just - ah - give me a second.”

   “Okay, okay.”  Shiro settled back on his knees a little more.

   “Ah!  Ah!”

   “Keith!”  Shiro leaned forward to be closer to Keith.  “Are you sure you’re fine?  I can-”

   “Aahh!~  Takashi!~”  Keith felt his whole body heat up.  He couldn’t keep his head straight when he was being stretched out and filled so such, areas getting pushed he didn't know existed.  Everything was new and startling.  “It’s just- There’s - ah - mo - hng - more than I- I expected.”

_Don’t do it, Takashi.  Don’t just start pounding him.  It doesn’t matter how hot that was or how amazing he looks.  Slow.  Gentle._

   “Is it alright if I move a little now?”

   “Just…”  Keith turned his head and took a few deep breaths.  “Hang on a moment.”

   “Alright.”  Shiro lowered himself onto his elbows.  “Can this moment involve some kisses?”

   Keith looked at Shiro from the sides of his eyes and smiled.  “I suppose it could.”

   Shiro put his lips to Keith’s and Keith put his hands on Shiro’s cheeks.  Shiro relaxed knowing that Keith was doing alright.  He was happy, Keith was happy; everything was running smoothly.  

   Keith sighed as Shiro kissed him.  He moved his hands so he could he feel the short, sharp hair on the back of Shiro’s head.  Every now and again, Shiro would shift and Keith would feel the cock inside of him shift, sending little waves of pleasure up his body.  Despite Shiro being so large and powerful, he was able to become soft and gentle in a snap.  Keith appreciated that, especially now, when he could easily ask for a kiss or to slow down and he would get exactly what he wanted.  

   Shiro scooted forward and Keith let out a small cry as Shiro's cock was pushed slightly further into him.

   “You’re alright?  It’s not painful?”

   “It’s not painful.”

   “Could we try moving a little bit more?”

   “Yeah, just - ah - go slowly.”

   Shiro pursed his lips and pulled out an inch or two.

_Fuck, he’s tight.  Did I prep enough?  Did I use enough lube?  I hope he’s not hurting._

   Shiro watched Keith’s face as he slowly pushed back in.  Keith's mouth opened and he pushed the side of his head into a pillow.  His knuckles were practically white from holding the sheets and pillowcases so tightly, and Shiro felt Keith’s legs tighten around his waist.  Shiro tentatively pulled out once more then pushed in again, getting the same response from Keith, this time with a few extra moans.

   “Keith…”  Shiro breathed.  Keith turned his head and looked at Shiro with half-lidded, watery eyes.  Shiro closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Keith’s.  Keith melted into the kiss and put his arms around Shiro.  He tightened his hold when Shiro pushed in again, trying hard not to cry out.  He felt absolutely amazing, though the noises he was making may have told a different story.  Shiro slowly rolled his hips, in and out, and Keith’s legs started to tremble from being raised up around Shiro's hips, and his hands shook from being so overwhelmed.  Keith could feel his cock dripping onto his stomach and twitching when Shiro went in and out.

   “Damn, Keith,”  Shiro grew rougher with his kisses.  “I love you so much.  I love you so fucking much.”

   Keith whimpered as Shiro began to suck at his neck.  In and out, kiss and suck, over and over.  Keith couldn’t keep all those little noises inside of himself.  He had one hand in Shiro’s hair and gripped on tightly.  Shiro began to push in and out further, going deeper.

   “Takashi!  Takashi!”  Keith quickly realized Shiro hadn’t pushed in the whole way the first time.  Shiro’s cock was going in deeper than before, and it made Keith’s heart race.  Everything was hot and his head felt like it was spinning.  

   “You’re doing so well, Keith,”  Shiro said between breaths.  “You feel alright?”

   “It’s- it’s-”  Keith breathed deeply and tried to reorganize his thoughts.  “Everything is hot and it’s- I’m- I feel all floaty and- ah!”

   Keith’s muscles clenched as Shiro thrusted, hitting a particularly sensitive spot inside of him.  “Takashi!  Please!  Takashi!~”

    _There_?  Shiro thought.  He mimicked the previous thrust and got a cry from Keith that was louder than the first.  

   “Takashi!  That’s- ah!  Ahh!”

   “You feel so good, Keith,” Shiro whispered as he nibbled on Keith’s earlobe.  “You’re so tight and warm and just perfect.”

   “‘Kashi…”  Keith felt his eyes watering more.  This was somewhat because his body was experiencing all these new sensations, and because waves of emotion were practically drowning him.

   Shiro looked back at Keith’s face.  “You are beautiful and amazing and perfect and I love you so, so much and I love the way you feel and I just love you, Keith.  Just so much.  I love you so much.  You’re strong and handsome and kind and sexy as hell and you make me so happy.  I can’t - I just love you and everything about you and-”

   Shiro was cut off by Keith pulling his face down and kissing him.  Shiro rolled his hips and Keith moaned and held Shiro tighter.  The room was filled with Keith’s moans and whimpers, Shiro’s nearly silent grunts and groans, the pop of their lips locking, and the quiet sound of wet skin to wet skin as Shiro pushed in and out.  Shiro reached one hand down and pulled it across Keith’s abdomen until he found Keith’s cock.  A spot on Keith’s stomach was wet with precum, tempting Shiro to coat his fingers in it and coat Keith’s cock.  Shiro took the pad of his thumb and spread what was coming out over the sensitive, pink tip of Keith’s cock.  More leaked out as Shiro moved his fingers, making Keith's cock nice and wet.  Keith gasped and turned his head.

   “Ah!  Takashi!”  Shiro gave Keith’s neck more attention and continued to pump his cock.  Keith writhed under him.  With every pump, Shiro felt Keith tighten around his cock, and Shiro held himself from reeling back and slamming into Keith to get that friction he craved so badly.  Keith’s hand shot up to conceal his moans and whimpers as Shiro hit those sensitive spots yet again.

   “No, baby.”  Shiro’s voice was rough and low.  “Let me hear you.”

   He gave a firmer thrust and held Keith's cock tightly.  

   “Takashi!  It’s too much!”  Keith covered his face with his hands.

   “No, babe, it’s alright.  You’re doing great.  I love you.”

   Keith whined.  “Takashiii…”

   “Is something the matter?”  Shiro slowed his thrusting and pumping.

   Keith’s face contorted under his hands.  “I feel all hot and full with you inside of me and- and I- I didn’t think I would be feeling everything like this and it’s weird!”

   “You’re doing perfectly, Keith.  You feel good.”

   “I can’t!  I can’t do it!  It’s too much!  I feel all hot, ‘Kashi!  It’s too much!”

   “You can do it,”  Shiro breathed.  “Just a little longer.  I know you can do it.”

   Keith’s knees pressed against Shiro’s waist.  He whined and whimpered with each pump and thrust.  Keith’s cheeks reddened and his forehead became wet.  As he grew closer to orgasm, he could feel Shiro’s cock hitting his prostate dead on with each thrust.  He couldn’t bear it.  Keith knew that maybe if this wasn’t his first time, he would last longer, but that sure wasn’t going to happen.  But he needed to last just a little longer.  It took all of the self-control Keith could muster not to cum right then and there.  He wanted this to last.  He knew Shiro would want it to last.  His body continued to heat up and he thrashed slightly in order to distract himself from Shiro’s cock.  Oh, he felt insanely good.

   Shiro pumped faster and Keith opened his mouth wide.  He couldn’t hold it in any longer  He cried out.  His toes uncurled.  His eyes squeezed shut.  His legs twisted and every muscle in his body seemed to contract all at once.  Shiro’s eyes widened as he watched Keith, and then he felt his hand get warm and wet.  He looked down at his cum-covered hand, a sense of satisfaction within him.  He squeezed a little and pumped, watching more cum spurt out, accompanied by little moans from Keith.  He then looked back to Keith at the top of the bed.  His eyes were red and about to overflow with tears.  His lip trembled and his hands balled into loose fists.

   “Shiro, I’m- I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to…”

   “You don’t need to be sorry.”  Shiro kissed Keith’s forehead.  “It’s alright, babe…”

   “But I- I-”  Keith tried to hold back his tears.  He shouldn’t be crying now.

   “You’re just fine.  It means you were feeling pretty good, huh?”

   Keith gave a weak smile.

   “You don’t need to be ashamed or anything like that.  It’s normal.”

   “But…”  Keith hesitated and shut his eyes.  “It’s- it’s-”

   “Shh…”  Shiro put another kiss on Keith’s cheek.  “You were perfect.  And you looked amazing through the whole thing.”

   “I was trying to- to- but I- I thought I could-”

   “Don’t over think it, babe.  You didn’t do anything wrong.”

   “But you…”

   “Don’t worry about me.”  Shiro slowly pumped Keith cock as more cum leaked out in small beads.  “Can we go just a little longer.”

   Keith nodded, though he was tired and breathless.  Shiro rolled his hips and Keith moaned and whined.  Keith was now excruciatingly tight around Shiro's cock, to the point that Shiro had to consciously think about his breathing and not pounding Keith too roughly.  After another moment and a few more rolls of his hips, Shiro groaned and pushed deep into Keith, letting his own cum be released in the condom he had on.  Keith sighed and whined, turning his head again and shifting his legs.  He slowly pulled out, and Keith relaxed beneath him, legs falling together and then to one side.  They were both tired, Keith much more than Shiro.  Keith’s eyes were closed and he was breathing steadily, so Shiro stood up and removed his condom, walking to the other side of the room to throw it away and then rinse off his hand.  He would have to get out clean clothes, too.  He took his time because his legs ached a little and he wanted Keith to rest.  He watched Keith on the bed, nearly asleep and completely worn out.  Things had gone well.  They made it over a few bumps and Shiro was satisfied.  He smiled as he dug through his suitcase for the clean clothes.  He looked back to the bed.  Keith looked absolutely ravishing.

   After a moment, Keith opened his eyes and found himself lying on the bed by himself.  He was cold and naked and sweaty and ached all over.  He could feel the semen on his stomach and the empty sensation in his ass.  He turned his slightly head in search of Shiro, but he was nowhere in sight.

 _I knew this would happen,_ Keith thought.   _He just left.  All he wanted was sex.  I knew it.  I shouldn't have let him do this.  I shouldn't have listened to Lance.  What does he know?  It’s all my fault.  I-_

   “Keith?”  Shiro laid down beside Keith.  “Are you okay?  You’re not crying, are you?”

   “Takashi… you’re still here.”  Keith turned to look at him.

   Shiro smiled.  “Of course I am.  Why would I leave?  I just needed to get some stuff so we could get cleaned up, that’s all.”

   Shiro took one of the baby wipes and cleaned the cold semen off of Keith’s stomach and wiped away any lube that had been splattered onto Keith’s thighs.  He gathered up the dirty towel and put it in the pile with the worn clothes.  Shiro pulled out a pair of Keith’s underwear and handed it to him.

   “I brought you a clean pair.”  

   Keith slowly slipped them on.  “Thanks.”

   “I thought I had a set of pajamas for you, but I think I grabbed my good ones by accident, and those are much too big for you.  Is just the shirt alright?  I guess it will be more like a dress…”

   Keith nodded sleepily so Shiro slipped the shirt over Keith's head.  It draped over Keith’s thinner figure like a cloak, hiding his hands but exposing a shoulder.

   “Want some water?”  Shiro handed Keith a glass of water with some ice.  Keith took a few sips.  

   “Thanks.”  The cool water felt good.  Keith yawned and Shiro took the glasses and set them on the bedside table.

   “You look tired.  Do you want to sleep?”  Shiro asked.

   Keith rubbed an eye and nodded.  Shiro rearranged the pillows and Keith leaned back with a sigh.  Shiro carefully pulled off Keith’s glasses and set them aside.  He crawled under the covers beside Keith and tucked them both in.  Keith rolled onto Shiro’s arm and nestled into his chest.

   “How do you feel?”  Shiro asked.

   “Alright…”

   “That’s good.”  Shiro pressed a kiss onto the top of Keith’s head.

   Keith's mind began to work again.

   “Takashi…”  Keith was nervous.  “Do you still love me?”

   “Of course I do!  Why would you say that?”

   “I don’t know.  We just.. you know… and… well…”

   “'Well' what?”

   “I didn’t know if you thought it was weird that I’m in my twenties and I still hadn’t had sex or something.”

   “I don’t really care, Keith.  You’re so much more than that.”

   “You don’t think I’m… any less of a man?”

   “Of course not!”

   “Even though I was…”  Keith cleared his throat.  “On the receiving end?”

   Shiro laughed.  “It doesn’t matter what end you’re on.  You will always be a very manly man to me.”

   Keith smiled and yawned.  “Thanks, 'Kashi.”

   “Mhmm…”  Keith placed a hand on Shiro’s bare chest and felt the rumble of his deep voice.  They laid in silence for a while and Keith felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep.  Shiro twirled Keith’s hair and gazed at his sleepy boyfriend.  Shiro had almost forgotten so many things about Keith.  He had almost forgotten about the tiny freckles on Keith’s back, and the few scars Keith never spoke about that decorated his back and legs, and the almost faded round ones on his arms.  He had almost forgotten about the tattoo between Keith’s shoulder blades that was a simple outline of a flower with a sword piercing it and scattering its petals; the deep scar at the nape of Keith’s neck that was smooth to the touch; how gritty yet fragile Keith actually was.  But maybe Shiro hadn’t forgotten; maybe he had just gotten used to these things and stopped noticing them, or saw them as a part of Keith.  Shiro continued to twirl Keith’s hair and smiled a warm smile as Keith stirred slightly.

   “‘Kashi?”  Keith’s voice was barely audible from under the covers and Shiro’s arm.

   “What is it, my prince?”

   Keith took a final deep breath before he fell asleep.

   “… I love you, too.”

><><><

   Keith awoke to light streaming through the large windows at the other end of the room.  He blinked and squinted, the overwhelming brightness being too much of a shock from his pleasant slumber.  He yawned and stretched from under the piles of blankets, then turned to face the other way.

   “Good morning.  How's my prince doing?”  Shiro was squatted next to the bed.  He smiled and reached out a hand to push some hair out of Keith's eyes.  “I thought you would never wake up.”

   Keith scrunched up his nose.  “I was sleepy.”

   Shiro chuckled.  “That's okay.  I ordered breakfast before you woke up so we can eat when you want to.”

   “Really?”

   “Yeah, I got you…”  Shiro turned and looked the table behind him.  “What?  Eggs, blueberry pancakes, some french toast, strawberries… What else?”

   “Damn, Takashi, I can’t eat all of that!”

   “Well, I need something to eat, too.  I just got the stuff I knew you would like so you’d eat something.”

   “You should have gotten something just for you!”

   “I have coffee; I’ll be alright.”

   Keith smiled and stretched again.  “Where did you put my glasses?”

   “Oh.”  Shiro stood and picked up Keith’s glasses off of the bedside table.  “There you go.”

   “Thank you.”  Keith slipped his glasses on and began to push back the covers of the bed.

   “Hold it.”  Shiro pulled the blankets back over Keith.

   “Hey, I just-”

   “No.  I planned this out for you and you’re going to stay right there.  I know you’re probably achy, so you need to stay in bed.”  He began to walk to where the food was.  “I’ll bring breakfast to you.”

   “Takashi!”  Keith pouted but smiled.  “You’re just too much!”

   Shiro returned with a tray of food.  “Is that a bad thing?”

   “… No.”  Keith willingly accepted a kiss on the cheek.

   “Let me get the drinks.”

   Keith stared at the food that was on the plates.  Some of the food steamed and the strawberries were the reddest Keith had ever seen.  Syrup sparkled and so did Keith’s eyes.  Shiro knelt down on the bed with a mug of coffee in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other.  He set them on the tray and sat next to Keith.

   “Does it look edible?”

   “It looks awesome!”

   Keith picked up a fork and stabbed a clump of scrambled eggs.  He took and bite and felt them melt in his mouth.  The pancakes were fluffy and buttery and the french toast was just the right amount of sweet.  The strawberries were fresh and tart.  Everything was perfect.

   “Is it good?”  Shiro asked as he sipped his coffee.

   “Here.”  Keith filled the fork and held it up for Shiro.

   “Mmmm, it is good.”  Shiro pressed a kiss to Keith’s head and Keith rested his head on Shiro’s shoulder.

   “Thanks, ‘Kashi.  This was really nice.”

   “It was my pleasure.  I figured it should be something special for our first anniversary.”

   “When you said special, I didn’t think it would be this special.”

   Shiro chuckled.  “Well, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

   Keith hummed and continued eating.  “Could you grab my bag?”

   “Yeah, sure.”  Shiro stood up and walked across the room and picked up Keith’s bag.  He returned and Keith opened it, dumping its contents onto the bed.  His phone, toothbrush, glasses case, small comb, Shiro’s toothpaste, and an assortment of pill bottles spilled out.  Keith poured a pill from each bottle and recapped them, holding the colorful medications in the palm of his hand.  He lifted his glass of orange juice and, in one fell swoop, swallowed the pills, taking a sip of juice to wash them down.  He wiped his mouth and acted as though nothing had happened.

   “Damn, you’re pretty good at that,” Shiro said, a little impressed.

   “I’ve had a lot of practice.”  Keith put everything back into the bag and tossed it to the foot of the bed.  Shiro wrapped an arm around Keith as he continued to eat.  They talked and laughed and Keith put pieces of food into Shiro’s mouth as he drank his coffee.  They talked about work and movies they should see and when would be the best time to visit the beach and whether or not strawberries were actually in season.  Then Shiro’s phone buzzed and their attention was turned there.

   “We’re getting a video call from Lance.”

   “Dammit, Lance.”  Keith wiped his mouth.  “He always calls at the wrong times.”

   Shiro swiped to answer and Lance’s face appeared on the screen.

   “Hey, guys!  Long time no see!  How was the evening?”

   “It was just fine, Lance,” Shiro said.

   “That’s good to hear.  I’m just finishing my shift.”

   “But it’s 10:30 in the morning?” Keith said while continuing to eat.

   “It was from like… 2 to 10, or something.  I stayed awake with Pidge.  And what are you eating?”

   Shiro panned his phone down so Lance could see the half-eaten food on Keith’s lap.

   “Takashi ordered me breakfast because he’s the best boyfriend in the world.”

   “Are you going to save me some?”

   “No!  Get your own boyfriend to give your breakfast!”

   “You’re cruel, Keith!”

   “I am not!”

   Shiro laughed.  “Do you want to see the room, Lance?”

   “Hell yeah!  Keith said it was pretty amazing.”

   Shiro stood and showed Lance around, giving him a view of the balcony and a look inside the bathroom.

   “Oh, and look there,” Shiro said as he panned back over to the bed.  “There’s my prince, still eating and being perfect as usual.”

   “Takashi!  Stop being embarrassing!”

   “I can’t help it!”  He went back over and kissed Keith.  “I just love you too much!”

   “Stop!”  Keith hid his face in Shiro’s arm.

   “Aren’t you two cute?”  Lance smirked into the camera.  “I take it your, uh, night went well?”

   “Lance!”  Keith blushed and buried deeper into Shiro.

    _Very_ _well_ , Shiro mouthed.  Lance smiled and gave him a thumbs up.

    _Details_? Lanced mouthed back.

    _No_!

   Lance stuck his lip out in a frown.  He made a motion of a tear with his finger going down his cheek.

   “We should be home by one,” Shiro said.  “Probably earlier, but you never know.”

   “Yeah, you _never_ know…”  Lance winked.

   “Shut it, Lance!”  Keith scowled.

   “I think it’s time to say goodbye, Lance,”  Shiro said with a knowing look.

   “Oh-kay.”  Lance pouted and waved.  “Bye guys…  See you this afternoon.”

   “Bye, Lance.”

   “See ya.”  Shiro clicked the call off and tossed his phone aside.  “That was interesting.”

   “Lance always ruins things,”  Keith said in a huff.  “I’m trying to have a nice breakfast and of course he has to call and be bothersome.”

   “I’m sorry you think he’s bothersome.”  Shiro lifted the tray off of Keith’s lap.  “But now we still have some time to ourselves.  We can relax for a while.”

   Shiro set the tray outside of the door then walked back across the room to pull the thicker curtain over part of the window, cutting the light down by about half.

   “Takashi, what are you doing?”

   “Oh,” Shiro slinked back to the bed and crawled next to Keith.  “I said we still had time so I figured we could use it more… effectively.”  He climbed under the covers and wrapped his arms around Keith.  “How about that?”

   Keith smiled.  “I think I’m okay with where this is going…”  They pressed their foreheads together and Shiro gave Keith a short kiss.

   “Hey, Keith?”  Shiro put more short kisses on Keith’s lips and cheeks.

   “W-what?”  Keith giggled.  “That t-tickles!”

   “I,” _kiss_ , “love,” _kiss_ , “you!  I love you I love you I love you!”  Shiro continued to give quick pecks all over Keith’s cheeks and neck.

   “Ta - ha - Takashi!  You’re - haha - stop!  It - ah - tickles!”

   “But what if I just-”  Shiro found Keith’s sides and wiggled his fingers, tracing up and down.

   “No!  Stop!  That - haha - ti - ah!”  Keith wriggled underneath of Shiro, trying to escape his grasp.

   “What?  I don’t feel anything?”

   “Takashi!”  Keith laughed and Shiro wrapped his arms around him.

   “Why do you make me like this?”  He looked into Keith’s eyes.  “Why do I get all gooey when I’m around you?  Do you know how powerful you are?”

   “What are you talking about?”

   “Oh, Keith,”  Shiro kissed Keith.  “If only you knew.”  Shiro hugged Keith tightly and they nestled into the pillows.

   “Are we going back to sleep?”  Keith asked.

   “You can.  I’ll get stuff packed up and put away so we can check out.  It won’t take too long though.”

   “Okay.”  Shiro pushed back the covers and pulled himself out of bed.  He watched Keith pull the covers up to his chin and nestle down into the pillows.  Shiro looked around for things to pick up.  He had gathered almost everything up before Keith had awoken, so now he was down to the little things.  He pulled out a set of clothes for Keith to put on once they were ready to go and changed out of his pajamas and into casual clothes.  Their suits were hanging in the closet and Shiro carefully slipped them into some garment bags.  Keith slept soundly as Shiro scurried around the room.

    _How does he sleep so well?_  Shiro asked himself as he phoned for someone to bring their bags down and car to the front of the hotel.

   “Keith?”  Shiro nudged Keith with his hand.  “We have to leave soon.  I want you to get your clothes changed.”

   “Huh?”  Keith peered up at Shiro.  “Oh… okay.”

   Keith rolled out of bed.  His feet hit the floor but once Keith put weight on them, he almost immediately fell into Shiro.

   “Sorry,” Keith said as Shiro helped him regain his balance.  “I think I’ve been in bed too long.”

    _That’s definitely why_ , Shiro thought.  “How’s your foot?”

   “It’s just achy.”  Keith rolled his ankle around and curled his toes.  “Lance did a good job bandaging it.”

   Shiro watched as Keith changed out of his pajamas.  They were both soon ready to go back home.  A man had come up to retrieve their bags and Shiro and Keith were left alone.

   “This was really nice, Takashi.  Like, really, _really_ nice.”

   “Well, I said only the best for you.”

   “Yeah, but, like, a nice restaurant would have been fine, but all of this?”  Keith gestured around the room.  “I feel bad not getting you anything!”

   “This makes up for all of the meals you’ve made me, and all the ones you’ve had to save me from.”

   “I didn’t cook for you that much.”

   “Are you serious?  You did it almost once a week?  That’s… what?  52 meals?  Probably more.”

   “It’s not like it’s hard…”

   “You’re talking to the guy who almost burnt down his apartment building trying to make fried eggs.”

   “You’re not that bad at cooking.”

   “Oh, but I am.”

   Keith laughed and they started down the hallway to get to the lobby.  The hotel looked different in the daylight.  Everything looked much softer, not as shiny and shimmery.  It felt quiet and homely, though it still had all of the features Keith had ogled over when they first arrived.  Shiro went to the front desk and checked out with the same lady who had checked them in.  They walked outside and found Shiro’s car already filled with their bags and waiting.  He said thank you to the chauffeur and they began their trip back home.

   “What time do you think we’ll be back?”  Keith asked, looking at the time.

   “12:30 maybe?  A little before?”

   “I’ll text Lance and let him know.  I have a feeling that he won’t get off my case if I don’t.”

   The ride home was happy, full of laughs and light conversation.  Shiro liked seeing Keith smile.  Keith smiling was like seeing all of the stars at night.

    _How did I find an actual angel on earth?_  Shiro thought as he drove, Keith talking about who knows what.  After an hour and a half of driving, Shiro finally pulled up to Keith’s apartment building.  They hopped out, Shiro getting Keith’s bag, and headed up to the eighth floor.

   “I wonder if Lance will be home?”  Keith wondered.  “I always forget when he works, or rather how long he waits at the hospital after his shift ends.  Maybe he got something to eat…”

   “I don’t know either.”  The elevator bell rang and they stepped out into the hallway, Shiro following Keith to the door of his apartment.  Once there, Shiro took Keith by the hand.

   “Thank you for going out with me,” he said as he kissed Keith’s hand.  “It’s not often I get to spend an evening like that with a prince.”

   “Oh, stop it, Takashi.”  Keith blushed.  “You’re just too much.”

   “Am I?”  Shiro spun Keith so he was being held in his arms.  “But it’s nothing you can’t handle, right?”

   Keith pouted as Shiro put his lips to Keith’s.  Keith laughed and put his hand on the back of Shiro’s head.

   “It was nice spending the evening with you, too.”  Keith smiled and began to be released from Shiro’s hold.  “I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow?”

   “I think so,” Shiro said, smiling as well.  “And Keith?”

   Keith looked up from unlocking the door.  “Hmm?”

   Shiro took a step forward and put a small kiss on Keith’s forehead.  “I love you.”

   Keith pursed his lips to keep his squeal in.  “I love you, too.”

   Keith slipped inside with a little wave to Shiro and leaned against the door, letting out a deep sigh.

   “Look who’s back,” Lance said from the kitchen.  “In one piece, I assume?”

   “Yeah~” Keith tossed his bag onto a chair and sank into the couch.

   “How was your date?”

   “Awesome.  Amazing.  Absolutely perfect.”

   “Oh really?”  Lance appeared from over the back of the couch.  “Why don’t you give me the play-by-play so all those juicy details can spill out.”

   “Okay.”  Keith put his hand over his eyes and smiled giddily.  “It was so romantic.  We drove for ages and I commented on how nice this one lake looked in the moonlight and he drove some more and we got to the restaurant that was absolutely beautiful!   It was by the water and it was quiet and so nice.  I got the duck to eat, which was amazing, and Shiro got a crab dish and we shared an eggplant starter and a slice of black forest cake.”

   “Sounds quite romantic.”

   “That’s not even the half of it.  I met a guy there and he said he was going to propose to his girlfriend which got me thinking about Takashi and I but I’m not ready to get married.  But after we finished eating, we walked by the water and looked at the moon and stars and then he said he had made reservations at a hotel which was super nice because it was late.”

   “And the hotel was amazing?”

   “It was beautiful!  I know you saw a little bit, but the lobby was amazing and there was a chauffeur and everything!”

   “Sounds pretty nice.”

   “It was!  Lance!  He’s amazing!  He let me sleep in and cuddle!  It was so nice!”

   “Anything… I don’t know, particularly special happen in the evening?”  Lance asked with a smirk.

   “Well…”  Keith felt his cheeks turn red.  “We may have done… _something_.”

   “Dude, really?”

   Keith bit his lip and nodded.

   “Yes!”  Lance gave Keith a high five.  “How was it!?”

   “Oh, Lance, it was amazing!  He was so nice and gentle and had everything prepared.  He went slow and didn’t say a single mean thing and we got to cuddle afterward and he got me breakfast and let me stay in bed the whole morning!”

   “Did he, I don’t know, say anything special?”

   “Well…”  Keith looked at the ceiling.  “He _may_ have…”

   “Shit, Keith.  Just say it”

   “He said… he _loved_ me.”  Keith couldn’t keep the smile off of his face.

   Lance yelled and jumped on top of Keith.  “And you said?”

   “... I loved him, too.”

   “Keith!  This is great!  We have to celebrate!”  Lance ran to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of his Bacardi rum.

   “No, Lance.  No no no.”

   “Why not?”  Lance began to break the sealed lid.  “We have to celebrate.”

   “But that’s your good alcohol.  You said you got it in Cuba.”

   “This is important!  We need to have a drink because Keith had a good time!”

   “Fine.”  Keith took the glass that Lance handed him.  “I don’t understand how you can just drink this straight up.”

   “Here.”  Lance handed Keith a can of cola.

   “Thanks.”  Keith poured some soda into his glass.  “Cheers?”

   “To Keith losing his virginity!”

   “... To me losing my virginity.”

   “Especially because it was to a man as fine as Takashi Shirogane.”

   “Alright.”

   “So strong and tall and damn sexy.  I bet that dick was-”

   “Lance!”

   “Sorry.  To love!”

   “To love!”  They clinked their glasses together and sipped their drinks, Lance continuing to try to squeeze details about the evening out of Keith.

   While Lance and Keith celebrated, Shiro silently cheered as he went down the flights of stairs to go back home.  Everything went so well.  Keith must have had a pretty good time, too.  Shiro didn’t think he would be this giddy about something like this, but he sure was wrong.  He felt like he was back in high school, still just getting a crush to go have pizza with him or something.  Every moment with Keith was absolutely magical, and he had smiled so much that evening.  Keith didn’t smile too often, or at least not as wide as he had during dinner and at the hotel, and right now as a matter of fact.  Those smiles made Shiro feel so special.  They had come such a long way in only a year.  He remembered when their relationship had first started, all of the questions he had and all of the mistakes he thought he had made.  He remembered how afraid Keith was, how withdrawn he got, how little he revealed about how he felt.  Now Keith seemed so different, but Shiro knew Keith was exactly the same.  He still had times when he was frightened and reluctant, when he cut himself off from the world and Shiro had to slowly coax him out a little just to make sure he ate, and Shiro knew there were things Keith didn’t share, not with him, not with Lance, not with anyone.  Those feelings may never surface, and Shiro learned to accept that.  Keith was a maze that few chose to try to go through.  For a while, Shiro almost stopped trying as well.  Things moved so slowly and Shiro felt as though he was making no progress with Keith.  Why he stuck around, Shiro had no idea.  He had no reason to stay.  Keith didn’t like being held or kissed, especially in public.  He canceled dates and wouldn’t reply to texts and Shiro thought there was someone else.  Keith wouldn’t talk about why he was doing all of that, and any moves Shiro made to advance their relationship were often shot down.  But then there was that day, that fateful day, Shiro saw how bad things could get for Keith.  Keith was dealing with demons he was too ashamed of to even admit they were there.  Keith wasn’t weak; he was strong, but he just had to hold up too much weight.  All of those thoughts and assumptions Shiro had had before that night made him feel like he had been selfish and cruel.  Keith couldn’t help that he didn’t have the energy or happiness to go on dates, or the motivation to get up and text back.  The nervousness and hesitancy wasn’t on purpose.  He couldn't control the thoughts that would go through his mind.  And the one things Shiro felt the worst about was thinking that Keith didn’t tell him things because he didn’t trust him.  Their relationship was young, and Keith had to battle hiding how awful he felt to keep Shiro around.  He did so much behind the scenes to keep their relationship afloat that Shiro was surprised he still wanted to be in a relationship.  Keith was the best thing that ever happened to Shiro.  Keith bumped him down a peg, showed him to truly put others before himself, to show people how much he cared about them.  Keith tried to do all of those things while fighting every force imaginable.  The least Shiro could do was take Keith on fancy and romantic dates.  He really just wanted to scoop Keith up and take him somewhere where he would always be happy and content and not have to worry or stress, but Shiro knew that would never happen.  It was impossible.  So he did his best to make that utopia a reality each day for Keith, no matter how hard it was.

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Restaurant menu based on menu here: http://www.dbgb.com/dc/menus/dinner
> 
> Thank you for reading. A tremendous amount of effort was put into this, and I thoroughly hope you enjoyed reading it. If so, check out my other works in the series.
> 
> Message me on Tumblr (@okay-klepto) with any questions, comments, or concerns.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated, and thank you once again for reading.


End file.
